Naruto, the Shootist
by Punishershadow
Summary: Hidden Leaf's favorite hyperactive blond ninja is taught at age six the ways of the Shootist. Thus is born Konoha's Prince of Pistoleers. Rated T for use of profanity and descriptive violence. Possible NaruTen.-ON HIATUS, WILL EVENTUALLY GET BACK ON IT
1. Chapter 1

-1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, probably never will. I write for fun, not profit, so please don't sue me. I don't own enough to take.**

**************************************************************************

For most people, their birthday is a day to celebrate. This was not the case for one boy in Konohagakure, because even though October tenth dawned with not a cloud in the sky, Uzumaki Naruto hated that day. He hated the day, because he himself was reviled throughout the village. The in the six years he'd been alive, not once had anyone said a kind word to him, and on his birthday, the only gift he could hope for was to survive the beatings the villagers inflicted on him.

Naruto ran, his lungs burning from the exertion, and found himself in a dead-end alley behind a bar. _Oh, man, I'm screwed this time… There are Shinobi in the mob this year… I don't wanna die…_

No one saw the old man walk out of the bar, nor did they mark the leather cases he carried slung across his back. But the man, seeing the crowd in the alley and hearing the curses flung to the unseen target of the mob's rage, he stepped closer. It was then that he saw a man at the front of the mob draw a knife and advance on a defenseless child…

Naruto watched as the first villager drew a kitchen knife and moved to attack. Naruto, resigning himself to his inevitable demise, closed his eyes and waited for the stroke to fall. But fall it did not. There came a sharp crack, and Naruto opened his eyes to see the villager upon the ground, a ragged hole in his chest, and the mob parted to reveal an old man in a long coat, holding a weapon such as Naruto had never seen. The man strode forward and stepped between Naruto and the villagers. His voice carried an odd accent when he addressed the crowd.

"You know, it takes a real man to gang up on a defenseless child. You call yourselves ninja; I call you cowards and bullies. If anyone else wants to try for the boy, they'll have to brace me first."

A villager yelled, "What boy? That's a demon! He's a danger to this village, and we'd be doing a service to be rid of it!" A chorus of agreements rose from the mob, and the stranger's eyes grew cold and hard.

"All I see is a young boy, being hounded by drunken fools and cowards, who have to beat on someone weaker than them in order to feel like men. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. Now move out of my way." The crowd moved under the stranger's murderous glare, and he picked up Naruto, who by this point had passed out from exhaustion, and carried him to the Hokage tower.

When Naruto awoke, he was lying, not in the alley like he'd suspected he'd be, but on the Hokage's office couch. "Jiji-san, what happened?"

The Hokage answered, "You were nearly killed, Naruto. You passed out, from exerting yourself so much to try and escape the mob. This man, James-san, rescued you and brought you here." The stranger from the alley touched two fingers to the broad brim of his hat, and said nothing.

The Hokage continued. "He has also offered an idea to me, which I would like to put before you."

The man, now identified as James, put his hand upon the Hokage's shoulder. "Perhaps, Sarutobi-sama, I should explain." He turned to Naruto and looked him squarely in the eye. "You see, I'm an exile from my own land, far to the west of here. I'm also somewhat of a master, in the usage of a unique type of weapon, and I offer you the choice, Naruto, to either stay here, if you'd like, or travel with me, and learn my weapons as my apprentice. I promised Sarutobi-sama that I'd have you back in time to take the Genin Exam when you turn twelve."

Naruto's face lit up. "Unique? As in, very few people from here know it?"

James smiled, his eyes twinkling. "No one here besides me, you, and the Hokage, know my weapons."

"Ojiji-san, could I please go with James-niisan and train? Please?"

Sarutobi merely smiled, and went behind his desk to the bookshelf, pulling some scrolls out before handing them to Naruto. "These are manuals on the basics of chakra control, ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. You'll need to study them, as well and James-san's weapons, if you want to become a Shinobi. Your things are already packed and waiting outside the office." Sarutobi knelt down, and gave Naruto a hug. "Take care, Naruto. I look forward to seeing you as Hokage."

That afternoon, Naruto set out with James, to train and move one step closer to becoming the next Hokage.

*************

As Naruto and James walked down the road, heading deeper into the forest which gave the Village Hidden Among the Leaves its name, the old man began to speak. "Naruto, just for the record, James isn't my family name. It's my given name, and you don't have to add any suffixes or honorifics to it. Just call me James. If you follow my instructions, and pay attention to what I'll teach, you and me will get along just fine."

The boy beamed. "Okay, James! What's my first lesson?"

James just pointed them down a road that led to a nearby trading town, and said, "First lesson is a dual one, both common sense, and fashion sense. We're getting you some proper trail clothes, preferably something that isn't brilliant 'Shoot-Me' orange."

"But I like orange!" whined Naruto, only to cut his next sentence off when he saw the reproving look on his sensei's face.

"True, I can tell you like the color. You don't have to give it up completely, just don't wear as much of it. The weapons I use rely on not only speed, but also steadiness of hand and eye, and a fair amount of stealth. Orange stands out, unless you're trying to disguise yourself as a pumpkin."

"I see," said Naruto. He grew quiet for a moment, then looked back at James. "James, what exactly is your weapon?"

James stopped, reached into his coat's inside pocket, and pulled out a shorter version of the weapon he'd used in the alley. It had the same wooden grip, the same metal frame, and the same pair of moving arms, one just above the grip, and one on the bottom of the frame, just in front of the grip. Inside the frame was a metal cylinder, and in front of the cylinder a hollow metal tube, of just about three inches length. "This is as good a starting weapon as any, I suppose. It's called a firearm, Naruto. More specifically, a revolver, or pistol. In my homeland, most simply call this and my other firearms guns." He handed the revolver to Naruto, and told him to put it in his jacket pocket, and not to mess with it until he was told to do so.

Three hours later the duo reached the town, a little collection of rip-sawed board buildings and thatch-roofed huts called Yumi. James led Naruto to a tailor's shop.

"Naruto, I won't always be around to tell you what to do, so you'll have to learn how to make decisions on your own. So, as a starting lesson on that, here is enough money to buy three or four good sets of clothes. I won't tell you what to buy, but I will offer a few suggestions. First, make sure it's durable. Denim or leather work, and cotton is light and breathable, so you won't overheat. Second, as I said earlier, using guns takes a fair degree of stealth, so orange in large amounts, or any bright color for that matter, is not advisable. Earthy colors, like browns and greens work well. Black also works. Now head on in there. If you need me, I'll be here in town." James then strolled away into the heart of town, leaving Naruto there outside the tailor's.

Two hours later, James returned to the tailor's shop to find Naruto sitting outside, dressed in his new outfit. Gone was the orange jumpsuit, and in its place was a pair of canvas cargo pants, an olive-drab tee, and a black denim jacket. Tied around his neck, Naruto wore an orange bandanna. "Did I do well?" asked the boy.

"You did fine, Naruto. Now let's head out of town a while, and I'll start teaching you how to use that gun in your pocket."

The two went to a clearing on the outskirts of Yumi, and James found a suitable log to use as a target stand. He set five empty sake bottles down on the log, and returned to Naruto. "Naruto, pull out your gun." The boy did, and James explained how it worked.

"This is a Colt's Pocket Navy revolver, the concealed-carry version of the Navy Colt I carry in my sash. It operates like so." He took the handgun from Naruto, and held it with the open ends of the cylinder facing upwards. "You pour a small measure of black powder into five of the chambers. Then, you place a small paper patch over the end of the chamber, then the projectile on top of that." James reached into his pocket and pulled out a small lead ball. "This is the projectile, known as the pistol ball, or bullet. Once you put the ball onto the patch, you press a little bit to seat it, and use the loading lever here under the barrel, to ram it home against the powder charge." James demonstrated each step as he explained it, while Naruto looked on in rapt attention. "The last step in preparing the weapon is to cap the nipples on the opposite end of the cylinder. You take this," said James, holding up a percussion cap, "and seat it firmly on the nipple here. This process is called loading." Naruto nodded his understanding and loaded four more chambers so he could learn how to use the pistol in combat…

Naruto was about to load the sixth and final chamber in the cylinder when James stopped him. "No, Naruto. Always leave one cylinder empty, as a safety."

"But why, James?"

James explained how, if one were to drop his revolver by accident, the impact could cause the hammer to strike the cap for the chamber under the hammer at the time. If that chamber were loaded, the gun would go off, possibly injuring or killing someone. So the revolver was always carried with an empty chamber under the hammer.

Weeks passed, and each day Naruto learned more and more. He studied and practiced the contents of the scrolls that the Hokage had given him, and though his chakra control was horrible, he swiftly mastered Kawarimi and Henge. He also started learning how to track, how to hunt, from James, how to survive in the wilderness and live off the land. Naruto learned swiftly the four main rules of gun safety:

1. Treat every gun, even one you know for a fact isn't loaded, as if it were.

2. Never, ever, point a gun at something or someone you don't intend to kill.

3. Always keep your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire.

4. Never draw a gun unless you plan to use it, and never use it unless you plan to kill with it.

Naruto quickly learned the pistol to a satisfactory degree, and moved on to other guns. He learned the destructive close-range power of the shotgun, and the speed of the repeating rifle. He learned the unflinching patience of the marksman's art, when he was trained to fire the big Sharps single-shot rifle. His body grew strong, as James always bought bar lead in town, so as to make their own bullets, and it fell to Naruto to carry it. The net effect was that they acted as improvised training weights. Naruto also grew taller, though not by much, and gained muscle mass and tone.

He grew fast, often having quick-draw contests or foot races against his sensei to determine who got the last bowl of soup, or who got the best cut of meat from the game they hunted. It didn't take long before Naruto was the faster runner, but it took two years for Naruto to finally best James in a quick-draw…

James often marveled at the kid. He learned fast, and despite the blockhead image, Naruto was actually fairly smart. He was a natural, taking to the gun like he was born to it. He healed so swiftly, that his wounds, his bruises and cuts and scrapes, never took more than a week to heal at most. James was in awe of this child, and watched with fatherly pride as Naruto grew stronger, and smarter, and faster.

But all good things must come to an end, and in this case, that end came on Naruto's twelfth birthday. James and Naruto had been on the road back to Konoha for a week or more, making their way toward Naruto's date with the Genin Exams. They were both tired, sore and stiff, and covered head-to-foot in trail dust, but they found the time to make camp, pull out a small stewpot and a dutch oven, and James made not only beef and chili ramen, but also a fresh apple pie for Naruto's birthday. Naruto loved apple pie, but he despised the taste of the dried apples that they often carried with their supplies. Naruto would often joke to James about it by quoting an old rhyme. "You can spit in my ears, and tell me lies; but don't try and feed me those dried-apple pies."

Out of the forest stepped a man, dressed in a black cloak with red clouds upon it, and a wide straw hat that shadowed most of his face. He wore a Konoha headband with a slash through it on his forehead, light occasionally gleaming off of it. "Are you the one they call Shootist?"

James stood, facing the man, who sounded as if he were not long out of his teenage years. "I am, though it is considered polite to introduce yourself before asking questions."

"My name is not important. All that matters is what happens now, Shootist," stated the man calmly. The man's right hand dropped to his leg, where he shifted the cloak back to uncover the kunai pouch on his thigh. "My apologies, Old Man."

Both men moved as one, so fast that Naruto had no time to react. James drew his Navy Colt and fired it as he dove to the left to avoid a thrown kunai. His pistol ball grazed the man's cheek, leaving a burnt marking across it. The man never made a peep, just kept moving and throwing, even as James returned fire with his revolver. Naruto watched in awe as James fired, each shot so assured to be on target, yet each shot missed by a narrow margin, inches in some cases. Finally, James's gun clicked empty. The man shifted and threw another kunai, striking James in the chest and penetrating deep. James slid limply to the ground as the man cut a strand of his hair and left. As he left, Naruto saw the man's eyes. They were bright blood red.

Naruto rushed to James's side and started to pull out bandages when James stopped him. "No, Naruto. I'm a goner no matter what. Before I go out, though, I want you to know a couple things. First, everything of mine, is now yours. My guns included. Second, I want you to remember my whole name. My name is Hickok. James Butler Hickok."

"Save your strength, James. You can't die! Didn't you always tell me that you were too damned mean to die? Huh?" Naruto was on the verge of tears, still futilely trying to stop the bleeding from his sensei's chest.

"Easy, Naruto. One last thing. I want you to know that I'm proud of you. You've learned well, and you're a truly amazing student and friend. Now go, Naruto, and take your stuff with you. You have an exam to take." James drew his Navy Colt from his sash, pressed the butt of it into Naruto's hand, and with a last, contented sigh, James Hickok passed away…


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about not posting very often. I'm in the Marine Corps, and I've been busy for a long while preparing for a deployment. I'll post when I can, and I ask that y'all please be patient with me. I will post.**

**Punishershadow--Hey, uh, dusty cowboy muse in the corner, you wanna do the honors?**

**D.C.M.-- I'd be delighted, pard. eh-hem. This piece of fan-type fiction is just that, fiction. Any resemblence to real people, whether they're living, dead, think they're living but are actually dead, or otherwise, is (mostly) a co-inky-dink. Some historical real people such as James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok, are used, but otherwise, it was purely an accident that one character or another resembles your mother-in-law's brother's wife's first-cousin's nephew's nieces' uncle's boy, Little John. This story's writ for fun, not money, and flames will be circular-filed for posterity. Enjoy the show, y'all.**

**Punishershadow--Yes, enjoy the show.**

**************************************************************************

Naruto arrived at the gates of Konoha three weeks later. The Chunin at the gate stopped him. "Business in Konoha?"

"I'm here to see the Hokage."

"Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I'm an old friend of his. Just tell him that James-san's apprentice is back."

The Chunin looked skeptical, but dispatched his partner to relay the message. The man came back a minute later, looking as if he'd seen a ghost. The first Chunin turned to him. "Yama, what's wrong?"

"You don't realize who that is, standing there, do you? What that is?"

"I see a boy of twelve."

Naruto, listening to this conversation, decided to make his presence a little more known. He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Um, could I go now?"

"Yes, go, please." Naruto took off toward the Hokage tower. When he arrived, Sarutobi was sitting in his office working on the mountains of paperwork that seemed to just appear every day. He was thinking of Naruto and wondering when the boy would come bursting through his door. He didn't have to wait long.

"Hi, Jiji-san! Did you miss me?!?" The blonde walked into the room and immediately threw Sarutobi into a bone-crushing hug.

"I did, Naruto. I assume that you've trained hard, over the past six years?"

"I worked my tail off! James is-" Naruto cut himself off, his eyes glazing over, and he stood there, silent. "Hokage-sama?" This surprised Sarutobi above all else. Never had Naruto addressed him as 'Hokage-sama' before. "Hokage-sama, I hate to have to tell you, but three weeks ago James died. We were attacked by a ninja with a Konoha headband. James put up a good fight, but he was killed."

Sarutobi's face fell, and his eyes grew sad. "I'm sorry to hear that, Naruto." He hugged the boy, trying to comfort him over the loss of one of the only people who'd actually cared for him. "Your apartment is still here; I kept the lease up for you. The Genin Exam is tomorrow." Naruto turned and walked out of the office, headed back to his old apartment.

Along the way, Naruto decided to stop in at a weapons shop and place a special order. The girl running the store came out and looked him up and down. "Can I help you, sir?"

Naruto smiled. "I need to place a special order." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a circular disk of sheet metal, with notches along the edge to hold cartridges and a hole in the center for the cylinder pin. It was called a moon clip. "I need a hundred of these. The metal doesn't have to be the best, just whatever works. Can you do it?"

The girl smiled. "Of course I can get it done. So, if I might ask, what's the need for these little disks? They're obviously too dull to use as shuriken…"

_Three Weeks Prior…_

_Naruto had sat down upon a log by the roadside, and looked at the pile of earth and stone that marked James' grave. He looked then to the pack that James had carried, and the leather cases that he knew contained the Sharps, the Henry, and the Parker. Naruto opened the pack and was surprised to see a pair of scrolls fall out. He picked up one and opened it, revealing a letter written in James' neat, precise hand…._

_Naruto, if you're reading this, then I've probably been killed and left you out there by your lonesome. For that, I would like to apologize. Before this letter cuts out, I want to say a few things that I probably didn't get a chance to tell you before I bought the farm. So sit down and listen, er, read, closely. Cause I ain't sayin' this mush but once._

_First off, like I said, I'm sorry I had to go and die on you. But you and me both knew it would have to happen sooner or later. That's why most of your training was on how to survive better on your own. Secondly, I'd like to tell you that you've done me proud, not only as a student but also as a friend and traveling companion. There's not a thing more I could've taught you on firearms. So, with my probably sad demise, I pass on to you the title "Shootist". Bear it with pride, boy; it has meaning. A Shootist is someone who's a professional with his guns, someone who's shooting has purpose. You're not just some punk gun-hand, out to make money. You use your iron with not only pride, but also with intelligence and professionalism. You use these guns of mine, and the others that I bought and had sealed in the other scroll, to protect those folks you call precious. Same way I used my iron to protect you in that alley._

_Now, I'd best wrap up this letter before you start to bawlin' and smear the ink. I wish you happy trails, Naruto. I'll see ya on the other side._

_James Butler Hickok_

_Naruto opened the other scroll and dumped chakra into the first seal on the page. In a puff of smoke appeared a large-framed revolver, with a tag hanging from the trigger guard. Naruto read it aloud to himself. "Smith and Wesson New Model 3 American Schofield revolver, Cavalry Pattern (7-inch barrel); Top-break design, holds six cartridges, caliber .45 Schofield."_

_He rapidly familiarized himself with this new pistol, and unsealed a holster and belt for it. Contained in the scroll were but three other guns, a Spencer 7-shot repeating carbine, a Colt Single-Action Army revolver, or Peacemaker, and a Colt Paterson cap-and-ball revolver, which James had said was the first revolver ever made. The scroll also contained ammunition for the weapons, and so Naruto hastily belted on the Schofield and the Peacemaker, sealed James' Navy Colts, and dropped the Pocket Navy down into his inside coat pocket. It was with a heavy heart that he set out once more for Konoha…_

"…Hello? Are you alright? You spaced out on me for a second there." The girl was nervous. It's not every day that someone comes into the store, places a huge order for something that looks useless, and then zones out entirely when you ask why they need what they need.

Naruto snapped out of his daze and looked at the girl. "I'm sorry. I was remembering something. Come with me real quick and I'll show you why I need those." He walked outside, asked where a deserted training area was, and then followed the girl after she hung a sign on the shop's door saying it was closed for the lunch.

When the duo arrived at the training ground, Naruto pulled out an empty moon clip. "This a moon clip." He placed it on a stump, then reached into a pocket to dig out a .45 Schofield round. "This is a cartridge." Next he swept the tail of his coat back, and drew the Schofield. "This is one of my weapons. It's from the west, called a revolver. This one's a Schofield. How it works is like this…" He enthusiastically explained how the moon clip solved the problem of speed-reloading the Schofield, by having all five rounds together on one disk, which can be inserted into the cylinder as one, instead of having to reload one round at a time. He explained then how the revolver worked, and let her bang off a few rounds.

As he prepared to go, the girl stopped him. "My name's Ikegata Tenten. What's yours?"

Naruto grinned his foxish grin and replied, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, alias Naruto Hickok, Shootist and future Hokage."

Tenten smiled. "Pleased to meet you, Naruto. I'll have your order done by Tuesday. Maybe you can show me some more of your guns." She laughed and ran back to the weapons store, leaving Naruto behind. Naruto went back to his apartment and made sure that each gun he owned was clean and in the best possible condition for the next day. He glanced at his clock, noticed the time, and went to sleep, James' old hat over his face.

*********

Naruto was awoken by his alarm going off. He smacked the snooze button on it and sat up. He was still fully clothed from the day before, and merely pulled his boots back on, belted on his gunbelts, and made sure all of his guns were loaded. He pulled his slouch hat down low, reached into his pack, and pulled out a chunk of venison jerky to gnaw on for breakfast as he walked to the Academy.

The classroom was in chaos when he got there. The teacher was nowhere to be found, and the kids were running riot. Naruto said nothing and simply went to sit in the back row, away from the rest of the crowd. After ten minutes, a man with a scar across his face and a Chunin vest entered the room and attempted to quiet them, with little success. Umino Iruka was about to use the "Academy Instructor's Best Friend" jutsu, the Demon-Head no Jutsu, when from the back of the room erupted a brace of thunderous booms that immediately drew everyone's attention. Naruto stood at his seat, the Parker double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun in his hand, pointed to the ceiling. "Shut up and let the man talk; the faster he gets done with this, the faster we all graduate." Naruto broke open the shotgun, caught his brass, and reloaded swiftly before sitting down and putting the shotgun back in its case.

Whispers flew as each minute passed, people trying to figure out who the new guy was, what that thing was that had made the noise like an A-class ninjutsu, and why the new guy was there. Part of their questions were answered when silver-haired Mizuki-sensei poked his head out of the exam room and called for "Uzumaki Naruto". The blond boy stood and walked into the exam room.

Iruka looked at him, surprised that the boy whose apparent demise six years prior was still celebrated every year by half the population, now stood before him. He quickly reigned in his emotions. "Your test is to create three clones using Bunshin no Jutsu."

Naruto started to sweat. _Bunshin? Why Bunshin? I suck at Bunshin! Calm down, Naruto, calm down. It's no different than laying behind the Sharps and taking aim. Deep, steady breaths, relax, natural point of aim, slow, steady, squeeze…_

"Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto pumped chakra into the jutsu, but something went awry, and he managed to only produce one clone, if the sickly-looking, ghost-pale blob on the floor could even be called a clone.

"YOU FAIL!!!"

After the class was dismissed, Naruto sat sadly on the swing outside, his head hung low. _Damn it, Naruto! You let James down! How in the world do you expect to become Hokage if you can't even pass the Genin Exam…_

"Um, Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked up to see the silver-haired examiner, what was his name, oh yeah, Mizuki-sensei. "I saw how hard you tried in there, and you only fell a few points short of actually passing. So, I have an alternative for you. It's not one that gets used very often. I give you a simulated mission, and you then are scored for it upon completion."

Naruto looked at this smiling individual and though to himself about James' old saying that if something looked too good to be true, then it probably was. But he'd give this guy the benefit of the doubt. For now. "What's the mission, Mizuki-sensei?"

The teacher smiled, just a little darkly. "You just have to sneak into the Hokage's office and remove a scroll…"

***************

That night, Naruto sat outside the shed, in the training field atop the Hokage Monument, furiously studying the scroll in his lap. He'd gotten into the Hokage's office easily, and made off with the Forbidden Scroll. "Let's see, the first technique is… Kage Bunshin no Jutsu? Dammit! Why'd it have to be a Bunshin?! That's my worst technique! Oh, well, nose to the grindstone, Naruto." He started to practice the jutsu in earnest.

Two hours later Naruto was propped up against a tree, resting before he moved on to the next jutsu in the scroll. He picked up the scroll and was about to open it when the examiner with the scar on his face, Iruka, came tearing into the clearing. "About time, Iruka-sensei! I only managed to learn one jutsu, but I think that should be enough to pass!"

Iruka was dumbfounded. "Pass?"

"Yeah, pass the extra-credit assignment Mizuki-sensei gave me, the simulated mission?"

Iruka was about to speak when he sensed a presence behind himself, and dove to knock Naruto out of the way of the hail of kunai that Mizuki, crouched in a tree on the edge of the clearing, had hurled at him. "Naruto," said Mizuki, "Naruto give me the scroll."

Iruka yelled from where he was ripping kunai out of himself, "Naruto, take the scroll and run!"

Naruto, on the other hand, had frozen. He watched as Mizuki unstrapped a huge Fuuma shuriken from his back and let fly at Naruto. For the second time in six years, Naruto watched as his death approached, paralyzed with fear. And for the second time in six years, his death didn't come. The next thing Naruto knew, he was on the ground on his back, and Iruka was on all fours over him, the Fuuma shuriken embedded in his back. "Naruto, go, run!"

"Oh, come on, Iruka! You can quit pretending to like this kid, already! I know just as much as you do about the decree twelve years ago!" Mizuki shouted from the tree.

Naruto slid out from beneath Iruka. "Decree? What decree?"

Mizuki smiled evilly. "That was part of the decree, that everyone know about it except you, on penalty of death!"

Iruka was ghostly-pale as he stared at Mizuki. "Mizuki, no!"

Mizuki continued. "Why do you think everyone in the village hates you,? Why do you think you have no family? Why are you always alone? Twelve years ago, the Yondaime Hokage didn't kill the Kyuubi no Kitsune, he sealed it into an infant! That infant is you! YOU ARE THE DEMON FOX!!! Even noble Iruka here hates you!"

Iruka shrieked.,"NO!!!", at the same time Naruto sprinted into the forest.

When Naruto finally came to a stop, he was out of breath, and leaning against a tree. He nearly bolted again when he heard two people crash into the clearing behind him. He heard Mizuki talking.

"Admit it, Iruka, you do hate the Fox. You and I are the same in that."

Iruka's voice came back in response. "I'll admit, I do hate the Fox." Naruto was about to cry at that. "But not the boy. The boy, I have nothing but respect for. You can tell he works hard, and that he has a kind heart. He's no demon, merely a demon's jailor."

Mizuki reached behind him for the second Fuuma shuriken. "Then you're expendable. Now DIE!" He leapt for Iruka, but was stopped in his tracks by a sharp crack and the shuriken flying out of his hand and up into the treetops. Mizuki looked up to see Naruto standing at the edge of the clearing, a strange metal tube similar to the one he'd used that morning to silence the class, held to his shoulder.

"Mizuki-teme, you snake, if you lay another hand on Iruka-sensei, I swear to God I'll kill you. And that's not a threat. That's a _promise._" As if for emphasis, Naruto worked a lever on the underside of the weapon.

Mizuki laughed. "You, kill me? I'm a Chunin, and you haven't even graduated from the Academy! I'll kill you, Demon!"

Naruto simply pulled the trigger on his Henry repeating rifle, and blew out Mizuki's left knee, followed by a quick follow-up shot to the right one. As Mizuki writhed on the ground, Naruto turned to Iruka. "Iruka-sensei, what Mizuki was trying to do constitutes treason, right?" He was answered with a quick nod. "And the penalty for treason's death, right?" Once more a nod. "Then I'll save Oji-san the trouble." Naruto slid the Henry under his arm, made a hand-sign, and yelled a technique. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Eight Narutos appeared, two moving to grab Mizuki and tie him upright to a tree before dispersing.

Naruto and the remaining clones each pulled out a Henry and stood on line with each other. "Mizuki, you not only played me for a fool, you betrayed this village, and worse yet, you attempted to kill a ninja of the Leaf. I refuse to say, 'fellow ninja of the Leaf' because that would be giving a you a title you don't deserve. The punishment for these is death. Ready!" Mizuki and Iruka looked on in horror as Naruto and his clones worked the levers on their weapons in unison.

"Aim!" The weapons came up as one.

"Fire!" The report of the rifles was sharp and crisp, and Mizuki died.

The clones dispersed, and Naruto went to Iruka. "Are you alright, Iruka-sensei?"

"I'll live, Naruto. Do me a favor and close your eyes." Naruto complied, and felt his hat being removed, and replaced by something. "Now open them." Naruto opened his eyes to see Iruka standing there without a headband, and Naruto's hat in his hand. "Congratulations, graduate. You pass."

*************

The next day dawned bright, and Naruto headed off to the Academy with his head held high and his new hitai-ate around his neck. He'd taken the plate off of the headband the night before and affixed it to his orange bandanna. He barely saw the looks of disgust that people threw at him, and cared not one bit. For that day was the first day of his ninja career, the first stepping stone to becoming the Hokage.

He arrived at the Academy and sat down, pulling out his Henry and his cleaning gear. As he punched the bore, one of the other Genin looked at him. "What are you doing here? This is just for the people who passed."

"I did pass, actually. See the hitai-ate?" The boy, Shikamaru, left him alone after that, all the while muttering about something being troublesome. Naruto resumed cleaning his rifle.

Iruka walked into the room, gave a speech about new responsibilities for them as Genin, and set about calling team assignments. "…Team Seven, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura, and Uchiha Sasuke. Your Jounin sensei will be Hatake Kakashi. Team Eight is…" And so it went, until finally Iruka dismissed them for lunch.

Naruto found his teammates, the pink-haired Haruno, and the brooding Uchiha Sasuke, and introduced himself. "Hey guys! I was thinking we could get some lunch together, you know, and get to know each other better. Whaddaya say?"

Sasuke replied curtly, "No thank you. You'd only slow me down, Dobe." He stalked off, and Sakura made no reply to Naruto, only following Sasuke, stars in her eyes the whole time. Naruto simply shrugged and walked into town, headed to Ichiraku's.

Along the way, he bumped into the girl from the weapon store, Tenten. "Oh, hiya, Tenten. How've you been?"

Tenten smiled at him. "I've been fine, thanks. So, Naruto, where are you headed?"

Naruto smiled back and replied, "Ichiraku's, for lunch. Do you want to join me?"

"I'd be delighted. Maybe you could tell me more about your guns." The two of them walked to Ichiraku's and sat down, ordering a bowl each, with Naruto's order having the added 'and keep 'em coming' at the end. Tenten waited until they both had their orders before speaking. "So, Naruto. You said last time we met that there were different kinds of guns. What other kinds are there?"

Naruto slurped his ramen down and pulled out his Schofield. "This is my Schofield, like I showed you last time." He laid it on the counter in front of him before pulling out the Peacemaker. "This is another revolver, called a Single-Action Army, or Peacemaker. It's made by a different company than the Schofield. The Schofield is Smith and Wesson, while the Peacemaker is a Colt." Next out came the Pocket Navy. "This is an earlier Colt design, called the Pocket Navy revolver. It uses a different loading system than the Peacemaker." Both Colts were laid on the counter next to the Schofield. "That's all my sidearms. I'll show you the rest when we're done here. I'll even let you fire them all." Naruto beamed when he saw the grin across Tenten's face.

The kids finished their ramen and went back to the training ground where Naruto had explained the moon clip to Tenten, and Naruto pulled out his Pocket Navy. He, like James had done for him, demonstrated how to load the weapon, how to hold it and aim it, and how to fire. He then set up a row of clones using Kage Bunshin. "Okay, Tenten, just aim at center-mass, cock it, and squeeze the trigger." The little pocket pistol went off, startling Tenten, and the shot went wild over the clone's left shoulder. She steadied herself, sighted in once more, and the next time the pistol barked, the clone gasped at the hole in his sternum before vanishing in a puff of smoke. "Good shot, Tenten!" Naruto clapped her on the back, and they moved on to the other weapons Naruto had on him. Tenten learned how to use the Schofield and the Peacemaker, taking a strong liking to the Peacemaker, although it was slower to reload than the Schofield.

"Naruto, what's in the three cases on your back?"

"My longarms. Two rifles and a shotgun." He removed each weapon from its case and laid it in front of him. "First, my shotgun. It's a Parker double-barrel twelve gauge. A shotgun has a large bore, which is smooth, as opposed to a pistol or rifle. It's meant for in-close work, like breaching doors or hunting birds or game. It also works wonders as a close-range combat weapon. It doesn't shoot a single bullet at you. It shoots a bunch of real small ones that scatter out wide and hit the target. For example." Naruto winged a large chunk of wood up into the air, pulled the shotgun to his shoulder, and fired once. The wood jerked in air, and landed covered in holes from the shot pellets.

"Next is my repeating rifle, an 1860 Henry. It, like all rifles, has these grooves in the bore. See how they spiral like that? They're called rifling, hence the name. They make the bullet spin, and it keeps it on target. It makes the bullet more accurate, and gives it better range." He signaled to the clones, and a few of them took off running. Naruto cut them down quickly and efficiently, from two- to three hundred yards. He then pulled out the Sharps. "This is a Sharps .50-90 rifle. The cartridge for it is a fifty-caliber bullet propelled by ninety grains of black powder. This bad boy's only single-shot, but it'll take down a target from just about any distance you choose."

Throughout all of this, Tenten had been watching and listening in awed silence. The weapons nut in her was in utter heaven! She snapped out of her reverie when Naruto mentioned that the Sharps could hit any distance. "No way." Naruto's response was to signal his clone, who dashed over, picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, and ran away from Naruto. When Naruto was a black speck in the distance, Tenten saw a white puff of smoke from Naruto's position, and a second later heard a hissing whine before the clone was blasted from beneath her. Tenten landed on her butt as the sound of the shot rolled over her. She stood and ran back. "That was awesome, Naruto! I could hardly see you!"

Naruto grinned. "My old sensei, he told me once about a battle where a man named Billy Dixon shot a person off of horseback at a little over seven-eighths of a mile. After that, one of the nicknames for the Sharps was 'The Gun that Shoots Today and Kills Tomorrow'."

Naruto would have continued, however he glanced at his watch and noticed the time. "Tenten, I've got to go; my lunch break is nearly over."

Tenten smiled at him. "Okay, Naruto. I guess I'll see you later, then."

Naruto dashed off to the Academy, arriving just as the clock above the door chimed the hour. Naruto's stomach rumbled again, so he dug into his warbag and pulled out another large chunk of jerky and a skinning knife, and sliced a piece off. Sakura was pretending to read a book, all the while staring at Sasuke, and said Uchiha was in a corner practicing a taijutsu kata. Naruto pulled his slouch hat down over his face and went to sleep.

Two hours later, Naruto was awakened by the sound of the classroom door sliding open. He lifted his hat brim and saw Kakashi walking in. The expression in the Jounin's eyes was bored, and after mentioning that his first impression of them was that he disliked them, Kakashi instructed them to meet him on the roof.

When they arrived on the roof, Kakashi bid them sit down, and directed his gaze to each of them in turn. "Okay. I'd like for you to introduce yourselves, you know, likes, dislikes, dreams, etc. I'll go first. I'm Hatake Kakashi. My likes are none of your business, my dislikes I'd rather not talk of, and my dreams are my own. Now you, Pinkie."

Sakura bristled at the nickname, but continued. "My name is Haruno Sakura; I like *giggles and looks at Sasuke*, I dislike Ino-pig competing for Sasuke-kun's attention, and my dreams are *giggles again and looks at Sasuke, a trickle of blood running from her nose*."

"Now you, Duck-Ass."

Sasuke grunted. "I'm Uchiha Sasuke. I like very few things, dislike a great many things, and my goal is to kill a certain man." Sakura was in awe, it seemed, and was staring at Sasuke with no small amount of lust in her eyes.

"Then that makes two of us." Everyone turned to look at Naruto. "I'm the Shootist Uzumaki Naruto, alias Naruto Hickok. I like my weapons, ramen, and this girl I met at a weapons shop. I dislike hypocrites and cheats, and those who judge others before they get to know them. My two goals are to become Hokage so people will acknowledge me, and to kill the red-eyed man who murdered the first person besides the Hokage to treat me with any kindness."

Sasuke scowled. _Red eyes? Could it be him? Could it have been Itachi? _Sasuke loosed a short, hoarse bark of a laugh. "Like you could kill anyone, Dobe. Don't make me laugh."

Naruto simply looked at Sasuke and smiled. Before Sasuke could blink, Naruto's hand whipped up from his coat and the Schofield in his hand bellowed. Sasuke's hand snapped to his ear where the bullet had burned it. _How the hell did he move so fast?! I never saw it!_

"Like I could kill someone, eh, Sasuke-teme? Just remember, I had you, and didn't take the shot. Let the bullet burn on your ear remind you." Naruto would have continued, but at that moment Sakura broke out of the shock of seeing Sasuke bleeding, and laid Naruto out with a haymaker punch to the temple.

Kakashi, who had been watching all of this in amusement, cleared his throat to get their attention. "Moving on… Meet me at Training Ground Seven, tomorrow morning. Don't eat breakfast if you don't want to throw it back up. We're having a survival test."

"But, Kakashi-sensei, we already did survival training in the Academy."

Kakashi smiled behind his mask. "Ah, but this test determines whether or not you become Genin. Before you talk, let me explain. The Genin Exam at the Academy is to test to see if you have the _capability_ to become Genin. This test has a 66% rate of failure. Now go and rest up. You'll need it." With that, the masked Jounin vanished in a swirl of leaves.

*************************************

Naruto returned to his apartment, cleaned his weapons, and then made his way up to the roof, only his gunbelt for armament, carrying the guitar he'd picked up years ago. James had given it to him; said that playing an instrument, along with being artistic, built dexterity in the fingers. _'Bout like shuffling cards, but without the hassle of drunken merchants trying to brace you_…

Naruto started to strum the guitar, and his voice, annoying when he yelled, mellowed to a smooth, rich tenor as he sang.

_I ride an old Paint; I lead an old Dan;_

_I'm gone to Montana, for the throw the Hoolihan._

_They feed in the coolies;_

_They water in the draw;_

_Their tails are all ratty;_

_Their backs are all raw…_

Naruto didn't notice the petite figure looking at him from the alley below. Tenten had been coming from the shop to let Naruto know that they were closed, and she was thinking they might hang out, when she heard the singing. She listened to the second verse, more to the tune than the lyrics, which were something to do with a man with two daughters, whose wife had died in a brawl. It was when Naruto's voice took on a tinge of sadness, as if he were remembering someone dear to him, or longing for a faraway home, that she paid heed to the lyrics.

…_When I die, take my saddle from the wall;_

_Put it on my pony;_

_Lead him out of his stall._

_Tie my bones to his back,_

_Turn our faces to the West,_

_And We'll ride the prairie_

_That we love the best._

_Ride around, little Dogie;_

_Ride around them slow._

_They're fiery and snuffy,_

_And rarin' to go._

Naruto sang the third verse of 'Old Paint' with the memories of James ever in the front of his mind. James had taught him the song, and others. He put the guitar down when he finished and looked out at the empty alleyway below him.

******************************

Dawn found Naruto sitting at the base of a tree at the training ground, munching on a chunk of beef jerky and a hardtack biscuit while he waited. Sasuke arrived, followed closely by Sakura, a few minutes before the appointed time. Sakura noticed what Naruto was doing and raised an eyebrow. "Naruto, you really want to puke?"

Naruto half-grinned at her. "I forgot. And besides, jerky and hardtack won't mess up a stomach like most grub. Want some?" Surprisingly, Sasuke and Sakura were willing to share Naruto's food. They each took a little jerky and a hardtack biscuit.

Kakashi arrived two hours later, only to be greeted by a scowling Sasuke, a shriek from Sakura, and a sleeping Naruto. "Wake him up so we can start." Once Naruto was awake, Kakashi indicated a pair of bells on his belt. "See these? All you have to do is get them by noon. If you don't get one, not only will I send you back to the Academy, I'll tie you to a log and eat lunch in front of you."

Naruto kept silent as Sakura asked about why there were two bells and three of them, guaranteeing that someone would flunk. When Kakashi set the timer and gave them the go, he bolted off into the woods, the better to figure out a plan. He settled on one swiftly, and created a Shadow Clone swiftly, dispatching it to its position to wait for the signal.

Kakashi stood in the middle of the clearing, waiting, it seemed. Naruto stepped out of the brush, levered a round into the chamber of the Henry, and yelled. "Kakashi-sensei, I'm not going home without one of those bells!"

Kakashi chuckled a little, pulled out a small orange book, and began to read. "Then don't expect to go home, Naruto."

Naruto nearly lost it there. He calmly looked for his Shadow Clone, noted it was in position, and ran straight for Kakashi, firing from the hip as he went. Kakashi replaced his book as he attempted to dodge the bullets, some missing him by mere inches. _He's not bad; I can't even read when I face him. But let's see how he does without his weapons…_

Kakashi created a Shadow Clone, used Kawarimi to swap with it, and appeared behind Naruto, swiftly removing the cases from Naruto's back, and the revolvers from Naruto's belt before vanishing into the forest.

Naruto finally managed to hit Kakashi, only to have the man vanish in a puff of smoke, only a Shadow Clone. The Henry ran dry, and Naruto was stunned when he reached for his Schofield and found the holster empty. _That thief! He took my guns!_ _I'll show him!_ Naruto started tracking Kakashi, only to spot his Henry propped against a tree. Three steps toward it led Naruto into a snare trap. The sensei watched in amusement as Naruto was jerked off his feet by the snare, but his chuckle was cut short by the Shadow Clone in his snare dispersing.

Naruto, meanwhile, was back in the brush, thinking. There had to be a catch. One on one, none of the Genin stood a chance against a Jounin… That was it! Naruto took off to find his teammates. He came upon Sakura trapped in a genjutsu, and muttering to herself about Sasuke. Naruto quickly snapped her out of it, checked his watch, told Sakura to follow him, and set out to find Sasuke.

He didn't have to search long. Sasuke was resting after an abortive attempt at getting a bell. Naruto grabbed his wrist and yanked him deeper into the brush. "What is it, Dobe," spat the boy when he saw who it was.

"Listen, Sasuke, I've got it figured out, this exercise, I mean. You'd know what I'm talking about if you just gave it some thought. None of us, by ourselves, can survive against a Jounin. Not Kakashi out there, our own sensei, and for sure not an enemy Jounin out in the field."

"I can do it, Dobe. So long as you two quit holding me back," growled the Uchiha.

Naruto's reply was to chuckle. "You keep telling yourself that, Uchiha. But don't start believing it until after you're away from us. I don't want your arrogance getting me killed. Just think about it. Can one wolf kill a healthy water buffalo? No. Wolves don't hunt alone, anyway. They hunt in _packs_. That way, they have a greater chance of success." Naruto smiled as Sakura, and grudgingly, Sasuke, listened to him. "Here's the plan…"

Kakashi was leaned against a tree, reaching for his book, when Sasuke bolted out of the trees, angling toward him, several kunai in hand. Sasuke threw the kunai, and Kakashi easily dodged them, only to be hit from the side by Naruto, a clip-point skinning knife in his grip, lashing out with brutal, ripping strokes of the blade. These, Kakashi parried, and as he was turning to drive the blonde back, Sakura dropped from the trees behind him and attacked with her own kunai. Whenever Kakashi would focus on one, the others would move in, darting away as he rounded on them. But they went in a pattern, and as Kakashi grew accustomed to the pattern, he felt comfortable in pulling out his copy of 'Icha-Icha Paradise' to read.

Naruto had been waiting for this, and signaled the Shadow Clone he'd created when the exercise first started. The boom of the Sharps going off didn't startle Kakashi. The big fifty-caliber bullet tearing the book from his hand did, however. Kakashi dropped to his knees, just as the bell rang on the timer. Sakura and Sasuke stood holding the bells, and Naruto stood next to them. "Time's up, and we have the bells. Do we pass?"

"You pass. You saw underneath the underneath here, and realized that you had to work together, that the whole point was teamwork." Kakashi stood, wiping his eyes, and moved to stand next to a carved black stone. "You see this stone? On it are the names of some of Konoha's greatest heroes."

Naruto looked at the stone. He wanted to get his name on that stone, then, no matter wha-- His thought was cut off by Kakashi continuing. "These are all the KIA of our Shinobi. These men, including some of my closest friends, all died in the line of duty." The man once more dried his eyes. "We start missions tomorrow. Be here at seven. Dismissed."


	3. Chapter 3

Naruto retrieved his guns from the hollow tree where Kakashi had put them, checked the chambers, and went to find some hunting. He was running low on provisions, and the shopkeepers here still overcharged him for bad merchandise, refusing to sell the good stuff. Flour and meal he could get, and milk, as well. He had to go into the woods and rob nests to get eggs that weren't cracked or rotten, though, and nobody would sell him meat that wasn't either rotten, or entirely gristle. The only restaurant that would serve him was Ichiraku's Ramen, and even for the ramen-obsessed boy, the same meal wore thin every so often. So off he set to the forest, intent on killing at least some birds, or maybe a deer or boar.

Nightfall saw Naruto returning from his hunt, his shirtsleeves spattered with gore, his pack loaded with the meat and hide of a boar he'd slain, and a half-dozen quail hanging from his belt. Naruto also carried, wrapped in some cloth for padding, the contents of every bird's nest he came across, to the tune of three crow-, several hawk-, and a handful of goose eggs. All in all, not a bad bag for the young hunter. Naruto, upon arriving at his apartment, set about tanning the hide, and drying the meat to preserve it.

The days passed swiftly, each day bringing D-Class after D-Class missions for Team Seven. From weeding gardens to walking dogs, to the dreaded mission of recapturing Tora, the pet cat of the Fire Daimyo's wife. Never in his life had Naruto been clawed up like that cat could. He looked like he'd lost a fight with a barber's razor, for crying out loud! Finally, one day in the Missions Office, Naruto had enough. "Why don't you give us something to do besides these shit jobs!" he shouted for all to hear. Iruka, who was on duty in the office at the time, dutifully explained how the D-Class missions were all they were qualified for at the moment, and then caught a look from both the Hokage and Kakashi.

The scarred Chunin looked at the team, then at his mission roster. "Well, if you really think you're up to it, I could give you this C-Class mission. It shouldn't be too hard; all you have to do is escort a bridge-builder back to his home country and protect him from bandits as he completes his latest bridge. Alright?" This was met by a unanimous affirmative from Team Seven. "Send in Tazuna!"

The shoji panel at the side of the room slid open, and in walked an old man, clutching half-drunkenly to a sake bottle. "These runts are supposed to guard me? You must be kidding." The old man laughed and wobbled a little.

Naruto fought to keep his temper in check. It wouldn't do to kill the person he was supposed to protect.

Kakashi spoke, before anyone else could. "You needn't worry, Tazuna-san. You only expect bandits, and even if the Genin can't handle them, I'm a Jounin, so I can deal with whatever arises. We depart tomorrow morning from the East Gate, so please be sober by then. You being intoxicated increases the risk of this mission unnecessarily. Team, go pack your equipment for a two- to three-week trip." And with that, the team departed each to his own abode to prepare.

Naruto returned to his apartment, pulling out his leather warbag and putting together his kit. Into the bag went a large chunk of dried boar jerky wrapped in cloth, his skinning knife, a clip-point of a design that James had called "Bowie", and several boxes of ammunition for his weapons. He sealed the Pocket Navy into the scroll with his other weapons, and then proceeded to seal into the scroll some flour and meal, a canvas tarp, and a wool blanket for a bedroll. He also sealed some dry beans, spices, coffee, and a stewpot/Dutch oven, frying pan, and coffeepot into the scroll. Placing the rolled-up scroll into the warbag with everything else, Naruto delved into his pantry, coming out with a cup of ramen, which he ate before going to bed.

************************

The next morning found Naruto waiting by the gate, just as the sun rose. Sakura was already there, looking bored. "Morning, Sakura," said Naruto as he pulled out a piece of cornbread and ate it. Sasuke arrived soon after, looked at Naruto with contempt, and sat down.

Naruto merely pulled his hat brim low, and waited. Kakashi arrived two hours later with Tazuna, and after the now common "YOU'RE LATE!!!" from Sakura, they set out.

After a few hours, Naruto noticed a pair of puddles ahead on the road. _That's odd; it hasn't rained in at least a week…_ Getting a bad feeling about it, Naruto swiftly undid the thong that held his Schofield in the holster at his hip. He was not a moment too soon, as once they had passed, a pair of ninja wearing breathing masks arose from the puddles, swiftly wrapping Kakashi, who had taken the trail position in the group, in a bladed chain suspended between wickedly-clawed gauntlets each wore. With a swift jerk in opposite directions, the Jounin was sliced to pieces.

"One little piggy…" growled one of the enemy ninja. The pair darted for Tazuna, only to be brought up short by Naruto as he kicked both of them in the face while drawing his Schofield. Naruto shouted to Sasuke, who had frozen for a moment. Sasuke threw a shuriken, pinning the bladed chain to a tree trunk. He reinforced the shuriken by throwing a kunai through the middle hole of it, further nailing the chain down.

The enemy ninjas broke free of the chain and split up, one to either side. Naruto drew his knife, holding it left-handed. As one rushed him, he calmly brought up the revolver and fired, blood and grey matter erupting from the back of the oncoming ninja's head. Naruto wheeled just in time to see Sasuke freeze again, and the enemy ninja get clotheslined by none other than Kakashi! "Kakashi-sensei! You're alive!"

"Of course, Naruto. Did you think I'd die on you so easily?" The man gave what Naruto had come to call an 'eye-smile' and chuckled. "I think that this counts as more than a C-Class mission, though." Rounding to face Tazuna, Kakashi spoke clearly and shortly, obviously not happy with the enemy ninja attacking them. "Tazuna-san, you requested protection from bandits. That's a C-Class mission. These were Mist ninja, of at least Chunin level. That's not a C-Class mission, that's an A-Class. My team has every right to terminate this mission here and now. Care to explain?"

Tazuna tearfully explained how his country, the Land of Waves, was impoverished, due to the depredations of a crooked shipping magnate named Gatou. Gatou controlled the shipping in and out of the country. He also controlled the drug trade, the arms trade, and several other highly illegal ventures in Wave. Tazuna explained that the bridge he was working on would free Wave from Gatou's clutches, and how the criminal had threatened him and others on the project with assassination. Tazuna went on to state that his family had enough money for a C-Class escort, but not enough for an A-Class.

Kakashi looked to his charges. "Well, what do you think we should do?"

Sasuke looked at the old man, and then to Kakashi. "I say we continue." Sakura naturally agreed with Sasuke.

Naruto grinned a fox grin and spun the cylinder on his Schofield. "Deal me in on this one. I don't like seeing other people mistreated."

Kakashi turned to Tazuna and told him that they would escort him back to Wave; so, the group began to move again. That night when they made camp, Naruto unsealed his stew pot and food. "I'll cover supper. He started cutting up jerky, adding spices and flour and beans, until eventually he had a pot of chili ready, and a pan of cornbread to go with it. The others dug into it slowly, then wolfing it down as they discovered that it was neither ramen, nor poisonous. They mopped up the broth from the chili using slices of the cornbread, and washed it down with water from their canteens or coffee from Naruto's pot. "So, guys, what do you think?"

"Not bad, Dobe," said Sasuke before he walked off.

"A little spicy for me, but it was actually pretty good," seconded Sakura as she went back for seconds. Kakashi gave Naruto the thumbs-up and went for his own plate of seconds. Naruto poured himself another cup of coffee and pulled out his revolver, breaking it swiftly down in his lap and cleaning it. He reassembled the pistol, put it back in the holster, and lay down to sleep.

Sleep would not come easily, however. Naruto tossed and turned, nightmares plaguing him, until he finally sat up. Sakura was on guard, leaning against a tree, looking almost dead to the world as she visibly fought sleep. Naruto warmed the coffee over the coals of the fire, and poured a pair of cups. To one he added plenty of sugar, and went over to Sakura. "Here, Sakura. I added sugar to it, so it shouldn't be too bitter."

Sakura started when she heard his voice, and then took the coffee. "Thank you, Naruto. Why aren't you sleeping?" She looked genuinely concerned, and Naruto explained that he just couldn't sleep. He'd leave out the nightmare part. Sakura didn't buy it. "I've seen you sleep in some of the weirdest places known to man, Naruto. You could sleep anywhere."

"Okay, Sakura. Truth is, I had a nightmare. I had them pretty often as a small kid, but they tapered off after I left on my apprenticeship. They came back tonight, I suppose, because being out here on the trail reminded me of being with James again. I'll be fine in the morning, though." _Why am I spilling my guts to this girl?_ Naruto was confused.

Sakura's face softened further. "James must have been a really nice guy to take you in, Naruto. How long were you two together? If you don't mind me asking."

Naruto smirked sardonically. "Six years. He was a father to me, the first person besides the Old Man to see me as human. He actually trained me. All these weapons, all these skills you see me with, aside from jutsu? All taught by James and his school of hard knocks." Naruto blinked back a tear at the memory.

"You said James was the first person to treat you with kindness besides the Hokage? By any chance, is he the one you swore revenge for?" Naruto nodded. "I see…" She quickly changed the subject. "So, Naruto, you fancy any girls back in Konoha?"

Naruto nearly choked on his coffee. "Wha-what?! What kind of question is that?" _Well, I _do_ kinda like Tenten, but she probably doesn't want to go out with me. I mean, she's really classy, and I'm just the village demon…_

Sakura watched as Naruto's face lit up, then fell suddenly. "What's with the long face, Naruto? You ask someone and they turn you down?"

"No, Sakura. There _is_ a girl I kinda like, but she wouldn't want to go out with me. She's got class, and I'm not exactly well-liked by many people back there, you know."

Sakura frowned. "Well, it can't hurt to try, can it? Get her a gift, something she'll definitely like, and give it to her when we get back." By now, the sun had started to rise, and with it the rest of the camp. Sakura looked at Naruto, who was smiling at her. "By the way, Naruto? Our conversation all night, it changes nothing between us. I still think you're annoying and dense, just not quite as much as before."

Naruto just smirked and replied. "And I still think you're obsessed with a bastard with a stick up his ass, who will probably never acknowledge the existence of another person aside from himself. But I don't think you're annoying anymore." Naruto walked off to pack up his bedroll and kit.

********************

Later that afternoon, Naruto was thinking of nothing, attempting to sleepwalk, when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. He instinctively drew and fired, then dove into the bushes, coming out with a very stunned white rabbit. Just as the thought entered Naruto's head as to why in the middle of summer did this rabbit have a winter coat, a dense fog rolled in. Naruto released the rabbit, and was making his way back to the group when Kakashi yelled to get down. Naruto and the others hit the deck, watching as a giant sword whirled through the air and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree. From the fog appeared a shirtless man in blue pinstriped trousers, his Mist headband turned to one side and the lower half of his face wrapped in bandages.

Kakashi stepped forward. "Well, well. Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Kids, stay out of this fight. Zabuza's on a whole other level."

"Kakashi the Copycat Ninja." Zabuza stepped down from his perch on the sword grip and yanked the blade free of the tree. "I'd love to kill you, but I'm here for the old man. Hand him over and you and your runts don't have to die."

"He's under our protection. We can't let you have him," calmly replied Kakashi as he tugged his hitai-ate up from over his left eye. It revealed an eye of blood red, with two comma-shaped dots revolving around the pupil. "And I'm prepared to fight, to protect him."

Zabuza stepped back a moment. "The fabled Sharingan!" He exclaimed in mocking surprise. "It's an honor to see it so early in the battle." And with a swift hand sign, the mist thickened, obscuring everyone's view. Then, the man's voice seemed to echo from everywhere, talking about the eight vital targets of the human body, and wondering aloud which he would choose for whom. Naruto, not trusting his ability to aim by sound, drew his shotgun from its case and thumbed both of the rabbit-ear hammers back.

All at once, Zabuza appeared in the midst of the group of Genin, sword ready to swing. Naruto, relieved to actually see his target for once, pulled one of the twin triggers of his Parker. The twelve-gauge roared, and the load of double-aught buckshot cut the Water Clone in two at the waist. Naruto turned in time to see Kakashi, engaged with another Zabuza, land in the nearby water, only to be trapped by the real Zabuza in a Water Prison. Kakashi watched in horror as the Mist swordsman created another Water Clone, directing it toward the Genin and Tazuna. "Run!" he cried out. "This battle was lost as soon as I was captured! Go, and take Tazuna with you!" yelled Kakashi, only to receive a very obscene gesture from Naruto.

"I won't run!" yelled Naruto. "I don't leave my pards behind. I've already lost one friend; I REFUSE to lose another!" Naruto sprinted forward, jerked the other trigger on his shotgun, blowing away the Water Clone, then leapt into the air, intending to butt-stroke Zabuza, only to be swatted away by the Mist ninja. Upon landing, Naruto was aghast to see his hitai-ate, lying just in front of Zabuza's foot.

"What's your name?" asked Zabuza. "You, with the weird weapon."

"Uzumaki Naruto Hickok. Shootist and future Hokage," snarled Naruto.

Zabuza's response was to laugh. "You? Hokage? You little punk, you don't have nearly enough blood on your hands to become Hokage. Not even enough to call yourself a ninja. Me, I was elbows-deep in blood before I even entered the Academy."

Kakashi proceeded to explain how years ago Hidden Mist, known as Bloody Mist, had been forced to change their barbaric graduation exam of forcing classmates to fight to the death, after a child, not even a student at the Academy, had slaughtered that year's entire graduating class.

Zabuza smiled. "Ah, good times…" And with that he ground Naruto's hitai-ate into the dirt.

Naruto drew his revolvers. "Fill your hand, you son of a bitch!" And with that he sprinted once more toward Zabuza, firing as he went. The bullets were wide, kicking up dust in front of and behind the man, or flying off wild to one side or the other, and Naruto was repelled again by a hard kick to the chest. However, to strike Zabuza was never his goal. Naruto stood proudly as he tied the bandanna with his hitai-ate plate on it back around his neck. "Mark my words, Momochi Zabuza. I _will_ become the next Hokage. I swear it on my honor as a Konoha shinobi, and I swear it on my title as Shootist." Naruto quickly reloaded and re-holstered his pistols, then reloaded his shotgun and re-cased it. Without a further word, Naruto created an army of Shadow Clones who drew skinning knives and rushed Zabuza. Zabuza easily dispatched them, revealing Sasuke whirling a large Demon Windmill shuriken, before heaving it directly at Zabuza.

The Demon of the Mist blocked the incoming missile, only to reveal a second shuriken in its shadow. This Zabuza jumped over. The dodged shuriken disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing Naruto, his Schofield in hand. Naruto fired, but his aim was thrown off by his landing and instead of slamming into Zabuza's upper back or shoulder, the bullet burned his arm, forcing him to release the Water Prison. Naruto swam back to shore, and as he crawled out onto the bank, Kakashi was already forcing Zabuza onto the defensive.

"My eye can see the future, Zabuza. Are you ready to die?" asked Kakashi as he prepared to finish Zabuza. He was unable to administer the coup de grace, however, when a pair of senbon thudded deeply into the Mist missing-nin's neck, and he went limp.

Above the battleground in a tree crouched a slight figure, face obscured by a Mist Hunter-nin mask. "Thank you for weakening him for me. I've been tracking him for weeks now." The hunter, who could not have been much older than Naruto or any of the other Genin, jumped down. "I'll be taking his body now. Too many secrets he can still tell." The hunter leapt away into the trees, and Kakashi collapsed.

*******************************

That night, after arriving at Tazuna's house, Naruto and the others were invited to eat dinner with Tazuna, his daughter, Tsunami, and her son, the little boy, Inari. Kakashi had awoken an hour before supper, with the realization that they'd been duped. Hunter-nin, upon killing their target, were to take only the head back, and dispose of the body on site. Combine that with the Hunter's use of senbon, acupuncture needles, with which it is very hard to kill someone, but very easy to make someone look dead, and it was obvious that the Mist Hunter was Zabuza's partner or accomplice.

Naruto sat at the table, wolfing down everything in sight, when Inari spoke. "I don't know why you guys are even trying. You'll just die like the rest of the people who stand up to Gatou."

Naruto swallowed a mouthful of rice. "I'm harder to kill than you'd think, kid."

Inari stood up from the table and stormed off to his room. But not before saying something. "You'll never be strong enough to beat Gatou. Nobody can be that strong."

Later that evening, Naruto walked up to Inari's door. He knocked, and the boy opened it. "Hey, Inari, can you come with me for a second? I'd like to talk to you for a bit outside."

"Sure, sure," replied the boy in a bored tone, and he followed Naruto out to the edge of the forest. "What is it you want to talk to me about?"

Naruto pulled off his coat and hung it on a bush. "Listen, Inari. I don't know what happened back in the past that has you cowed like you are, but I do have a good piece of advice for you that someone once told me. _Suck it up._ You need to reach down and make sure you've got a pair, and suck it up. If you keep actin' like you're cowed by Gatou and his punks, then that's all you'll ever be. A _damned coward_." Naruto snarled this last part, his lip curling in distaste.

Inari started to tear up. "I watched Gatou kill my father in front of everyone. My father was the strongest, bravest, kindest man in Wave. If he couldn't do it, what makes you think you can?! And where do you get off, telling me to suck it up?! You don't know what it's like not to have a dad! You've got one waiting back in your village for you!"

Naruto's eyes darkened. "I never knew either of my parents. They abandoned me as a baby. I've been beaten, spat on, and mistreated by everyone my whole life. The only people who've ever treated me like a human being are the Hokage, the village leader, and James Butler Hickok, who raised me for six years and taught me everything I know and hold dear. And I've _never_ been cowed by _anyone_!"

Inari was taken aback by Naruto's statement, but his anger soon returned. "I am not cowed! I'm not a coward!"

"Prove it!"

"Alright! Name a challenge! To prove my bravery!"

Naruto drew his Peacemaker, and emptied it of all but one bullet. "This is a revolver. It's one of my weapons. This is what it does." Naruto cocked it and fired into a nearby melon, which burst into several tiny pieces. Naruto then put one round back in it, after ejecting the empty. "Your challenge is this. You pull this part here back to half-cock," Naruto explained as he pointed out the hammer. "Then, you spin this part as hard as you can." Naruto spun the cylinder once as a demonstration. "You pull the first part back all the way then, put the end of it up to your temple, and pull this back to fire it." Naruto pointed to the hammer and trigger. "One round out of six. You have a one-in-six chance of blowing your own brains out. Slim odds, true, of you dying, but if you do, then oh, well. One less coward in the world." Naruto was grinning evilly as he held out the pistol.

Inari looked scared for the barest breath of a moment, then his face hardened and he took the revolver from Naruto. He put the hammer on half-cock, spun the cylinder, and then fully cocked the pistol before putting the muzzle directly to his temple. "I'm no coward." And with that Inari pulled the trigger.

_Click._ The Peacemaker clicked on an empty chamber. Inari had squeezed his eyes closed and grimaced as he pulled the trigger, and when the weapon clicked, he nearly dropped it on the ground. Naruto reached out, took the revolver, and holstered it. He looked at Inari, who frankly looked happy to be alive, yet still defiant. "You're no coward, Inari. Not many people got the grit to play Russian Roulette. It takes someone who's not afraid, who's got no regrets, to do it sober, and with a straight face. You just remember tonight. You danced with the Shinigami and hawked a loogie in his face. Nobody can stand up to someone who'll play Russian Roulette. Now you run on back to bed and rest up." Naruto smiled and patted the kid on the back before ushering him back to the house.

Kakashi, who had been watching the whole time from the forest, gave an unseen eye-smile when he saw Naruto pull the round that he'd pretended to put in the Peacemaker, out of his pocket.


	4. Chapter 4

The week progressed smoothly. Kakashi trained the team in tree-climbing without hands, so as to build chakra control. As each passed, they were added to the rotation to guard the bridge. Despite the death-threats and people on the construction crew quitting in twos and threes, the bridge neared completion. Naruto would train in the forest day in and day out, whenever he wasn't on duty guarding the bridge.

It was during one of his times in the forest that Naruto found the cave. Found being the best way to put it. In actuality, he fell out of a tree he was climbing, hit hard on his back, and crashed down through the roof of an old cave. Naruto's gaze came to rest upon a skeleton, both its legs shattered and rusted kunai protruding from its ribcage. "Damn, you went down hard, my friend." He moved closer, and felt his shoe contact something metal. Naruto reached down and found half-buried in the dust the plate from an old hitai-ate. "Taki? What's a Waterfall shinobi doing in Wave?" Naruto looked around, cutting what sign was left of how the shinobi had died. Naruto showed little respect for most people, but he respected warriors, and judging from the old damage from water jutsus and the scattered kunai and shuriken fragments with Lightning-Country manufacturers' marks on them, this lone Taki-nin had held off at least two Kumo-nins for a decent bit of time. That, Naruto respected. Naruto sealed the bones into a scroll, intending to get out of the cave and bury them near a waterfall he'd come across earlier in the day. When Naruto picked up the hitai-ate plate, he felt something on the reverse side.

Turning it over, Naruto saw a storage seal etched into the metal. "I wonder what he stored in here," remarked the Shootist to no one. He poured chakra into the seal, and in a gout of smoke appeared a large, battered, leather-bound scroll, a smaller scroll, and a long buckskin case similar to the ones he carried on his back. Naruto set the scrolls aside for a moment, and opened the case to reveal a flintlock rifle that looked like it had seen many a better day. Naruto propped it against the cave wall, and opened the small scroll. It was a letter, addressed to a girl in Taki.

_Dearest Yuko,_

_I miss you, out here in the field. I know the baby will be born soon, and I promise to be there in time to welcome our son into the world. I know you think it's a girl, but I'll bet you it's a boy. This last mission was a success. I tracked down the missing-nin from our village, with the help of an odd civilian. He carried one of the oddest weapons I'd ever seen. It was a long metal tube mounted in a wooden stock. You pour black powder into the tube behind a lead ball, and after a little other preparation, it will throw the lead ball with such speed you'd never see it, for distances that are unheard of in the village. I'll be bringing it back with me. The civilian, Ferguson, was killed in battle. Before he died he gave me the weapon, which he calls the 'Ferguson Breech-loading Rifle'. I have to go, Yuko-hime. The two Kumo-nins who my target was meeting are trailing me now, and I may have to fight soon._

_With all my love,_

_Mori_

Naruto cried as he read. _Poor Mori; he never got to see his kid born, or his girl ever again._ Naruto picked up the rifle and cased it, then sealed the other scrolls before jumping up through the hole he'd made in the roof of the cave, emerging back into the brightly-lit forest. A short sprint later, and Naruto stood beside a quiet stream that flowed from a spring-fed pool. There, Naruto used his Bowie to dig a grave, wrapped the bones in a tarp, and said a few words as he filled the grave and laid large, smooth river rocks over the grave to keep the animals out of it. Naruto left, heading back to the house to clean up.

************************

The next day, as Naruto came off his shift guarding the bridge, he was stopped by Inari. "Naruto-niisan? Could I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it, Inari?" Ever since Inari had played Russian Roulette, he'd become more outgoing, and had started to look up to Naruto a little. Naruto saw so much of himself in Inari that it scared him, so it was hard to be mad and stay mad at him.

"Naruto-niisan? Could you teach me how to fight? I want to be able to protect Mama and Grandpa if I have to. Could you teach me, please?"

"Okay, Inari." Naruto swiftly taught Inari the basics of fighting with a blade, and the beginning of his style, learned from James. It was called 'Arkansawyer Style', and relied on brutal offense and a distinctive backhand ripping, disemboweling swipe of the blade, which was held overhand, cutting-edge up, a signature trait of Arkansawyer Style. Inari and Naruto sparred all day, Naruto with his Bowie, and Inari with a thick butcher's knife from his mother's kitchen. The boy was a quick study, and many times during the matches he'd do something unexpected and Naruto would applaud a well-performed strike as his superior speed let Naruto parry it. Naruto trained Inari for two days, before presenting the boy with a Bowie, a copy that Naruto had had a blacksmith in the village make of his own, and a scroll containing all the notes of Arkansawyer Style knife-fighting he could think of, including a few made-up-on-the-spot katas. Inari vowed to practice every day and become stronger, and took to carrying the Bowie on his belt everywhere he went.

One day, a week after Naruto gave Inari his Bowie, Inari was by the side of the house, splitting wood with a hatchet so he could feed the woodstove in the house, when he heard a crash from inside. Hatchet in hand, Inari rushed inside to find his mother in the hands of two men, swords hanging by their sides. Inari drew his Bowie and stepped forward. "Let my mom go!"

One of them shifted to see Inari. "Really? Hey, Zouri, we were only supposed to take one hostage, right?"

The other smiled. "Yeah, we were. You want some cutting practice?"

Tsunami started thrashing, trying to get free. "If you harm a hair on his head, I swear I'll bite through my own tongue and drown myself in my own blood!"

The samurai holding her cuffed her with the butt of his katana to knock her out and looked at Inari. "Kill him, Waraji." Waraji charged, drawing his sword and bringing it around in a downward cut. Inari brought up the metal-hafted hatchet and blocked the strike, deflecting it to one side as he stepped in. Inari had gotten fast; one had to if they wanted to keep up with a ninja. Inari wasn't nearly fast enough to beat Naruto, but he was much faster than he looked, and Waraji the samurai paid the price for it. Inside the samurai's guard, Inari's knife flashed, and Waraji dropped his sword. Inari stepped back and watched as the samurai tried to push his entrails back in through the long gash that Inari had opened in his belly. Waraji collapsed and Inari prepared to face the other samurai, Zouri.

Zouri was about to drop Tsunami and kill the boy when a clicking sound came from right behind him and something got pressed to the back of his head. "Drop the woman, drop your sword, and step over near your partner," snarled Naruto. He'd been in the forest training, and came across a trail of sword-cut trees and a chopped-up boar, all of it leading toward Tazuna's house. "Good job, Inari. You read ahead to the tomahawk section?" Naruto prodded Zouri next to Waraji's corpse and buffaloed him in the back of the head with his revolver barrel. Inari swiftly helped tie the unconscious samurai.

"No, Niisan. I just sorta reacted on that one."

"Well, good job. First kill's always the hardest. I hope this is your only kill. Listen, Inari, I'm leavin' you in charge. Hold down the fort here. If they attacked here, then they're probably attacking the bridge, too. I gotta go and help my team. Take care, kid." And with that, Naruto dashed away to the bridge.

**************************

At the bridge, things were not going well for Team Seven. Sakura was guarding Tazuna, unable to see for the thick mist all about her. Sasuke was fighting against Zabuza's accomplice, Haku, and losing, trapped in the boy's Ice Mirrors. Slowly, but still losing. Kakashi and Zabuza were at a stalemate, neither able to land a fatal blow.

It was into this melee that Naruto arrived, making his presence known by landing next to Sasuke. "You idiot!" yelled the Uchiha. "Now we're both trapped in here!"

"Shows how much you know. Not much'll stand up to a twelve-gauge." To prove his point, Naruto fired both barrels into an Ice Mirror. It had no effect. Naruto pulled out his Sharps and tried that, firing at an image of Haku in a mirror. The Mirror wasn't even dented, and Haku flashed from one Ice Mirror to another, throwing senbon as he went. This pattern continued, Naruto firing at shadows and missing Haku, Sasuke attempting to use Katon jutsus and kunai to hit the boy or break mirrors, until finally, Naruto slid one round into his Peacemaker and drew his Bowie. "Last round, Sasuke. After this, I'm down to my knife and two kunai."

Sasuke, winded, stared straight ahead, focusing on the image of Haku. _I'm almost able to see him move. I just have to focus… There! _Haku made his move and Sasuke threw a kunai. It barely missed Haku's leg, but still managed to make him break his stride for the barest breadth of a moment. Naruto, seeing Sasuke move, whirled and fired his pistol. The bullet took Haku in the side, a flesh wound but a painful one.

Haku made it to the next mirror and checked his side. _The Uchiha can see me now. How? _Haku looked, and there in the boy's face spun a pair of Sharingan eyes! _I have to end this now…_

In a blur, Haku rushed out of his Ice Mirror, a handful of senbon at the ready in either hand. These Haku loosed at Naruto. Before Naruto could react, Sasuke was in front of him, taking the full brunt of Haku's deadly needles. "Dobe…"

At this point several things happened in quick succession. A trickle of blood escaped the Uchiha's mouth. He fell to his knees, then face-down onto the ground. Naruto checked the boy's pulse and found none.

And all Hell broke loose.

Naruto screamed, his voice hoarse and bestial. His eyes, once brilliant blue, turned red, his pupils slitted and burning with hellish rage. He snarled and revealed fangs. His chakra flared, and where it had once been blue like his eyes, it was now red and malevolent. So powerful was this flare that it stopped Kakashi and Zabuza in their tracks.

Naruto saw movement from Haku, as the boy tried to dash from one mirror to the next, and rushed, grabbing Haku by the ankle and throwing him through an Ice Mirror, then pounced on him as he landed. Haku's Hunter-nin mask went flying, to reveal a feminine face with tear-stained eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to kill anyone. But Zabuza-sama is precious to me, and I swore to protect him. I'm sorry that you lost one of your precious people." Haku steeled himself for his demise.

Meanwhile, the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza was not going well for the Mist swordsman. Kakashi had rendered both his arms useless, and his nin-dogs had Zabuza pinned. Kakashi prepared to use his Raikiri, and charged, the jutsu crackling and chirping like the thousand birds that gave it its other name, Chidori.

As Naruto leapt for Haku, intending to tear the boy's throat out barehanded, Haku vanished in a burst of speed. He reappeared between Kakashi and Zabuza, taking the Leaf-nin's attack cleanly through the heart. Kakashi lowered the boy's body to the ground and prepared to square off once more with Zabuza, when from the end of the bridge came clapping.

There at the end of the bridge stood the author of all Wave's troubles, Gatou himself. He stood at the head of a hundred thugs, all thirsting for blood. "Well, well, Zabuza. Can't even stand up to a bunch of kids and their babysitter, can you? I think when you called yourself the 'Demon of the Mist' that that was just plain false advertising! Of course, I never intended to pay you anyway. It's too expensive to hire ninja from a respected village; better to hire thugs and missing-nin, then come in and clean up the survivors after the battle." The diminutive tyrant spotted Haku's body on the ground and walked over. "You, you little bitch, you nearly broke my hand one time." Gatou kicked the body as hard as he could, and Zabuza visibly flinched.

Zabuza turned his head back to Kakashi. "Well, Kakashi. It seems my mission's over."

"So it seems, Zabuza." Kakashi dismissed his nin-dogs. He looked to where Sakura had rushed over to Sasuke, who had, true to Haku's statement of not wanting to kill anyone, only been in a near-death state.

Zabuza looked at Naruto, who had calmed down. His eyes had turned blue again, and he was crying at Haku's death. "Shootist. Can I borrow a blade?" Zabuza bit through the bandages around his mouth.

Naruto tossed a kunai to Zabuza, who caught it in his mouth. "Go out with your boots on, Zabuza-san. Show 'em a _real_ Demon."

Zabuza sprinted, his useless arms trailing limply behind him, his eyes wild, and barreled headlong into the middle of the crowd of mercenaries. Many weapons found him. Swords and spears, kama, kusarigama, knives and others drew blood from him. But the kunai in Zabuza's mouth drew blood as well, laying open bellies and throats and arms, until finally, Zabuza was beyond the army and upon Gatou. The kunai was buried deep in the criminal's chest, then withdrawn. Zabuza thrashed his head, and Gatou was slain, his head bouncing upon the bridge. Zabuza collapsed, and at his request was placed next to Haku. There the great and ferocious Demon of the Mist passed on.

One of the thugs spoke up. "You killed our meal ticket! Now we're gonna have to plunder the whole village!" His sentiment was echoed in the roar of his fellows. As the crowd started to surge forward, there came a roaring boom, and the lead man was stopped by a bullet kicking up dust next to his feet.

Inari sat at the edge of the bridge, knocked flat by the recoil of the Ferguson that Naruto had left at Tazuna's house. Behind him stood the villagers, all ready to fight and defend their home. Inari stood, laying the rifle down and drawing his Bowie. "Leave here now. If you don't we'll kill you all!"

Naruto grinned at the boy as he unsealed ammunition from his scroll and reloaded his Henry. _He's got sand, that's for sure. _Naruto frowned as the thugs prepared to continue, obviously intending to run right over the defenders. _I s'pose I should join in the party._ "Kage Bunshin!" Narutos appeared from edge to edge on the bridge, four ranks deep. The front rank lay down prone, while the second rank assumed a sitting position. The third rank was at a high kneeling, and the fourth stood. Each rank raised their Henrys and chambered rounds. The real Naruto stood right-flank, front. "Do you want to die? If you don't, then turn around now and leave. Otherwise, I'll be forced to kill you." The gang didn't take the hint and continued to advance. Naruto scowled and muttered about a waste of good ammo, then looked to his Shadow Clones. "By ranks, from the front, volley, FIRE!!" The first rank fired as one, followed by the second rank, the third, and the fourth, creating a continuous wave of lead that mowed down the thugs like winter wheat. The survivors of the murderous fire broke and ran, disappearing out of sight as fast as their legs would carry them.

*********************

It took three days for Sasuke to fully recover from Haku's senbon. In that time, Naruto took Zabuza and Haku's bodies, and buried them in the same clearing he had buried the Taki-nin, Mori. Naruto drove Zabuza's zanbatou into the ground between the two graves as a marker, and hung the Mist hitai-ate and Hunter-nin mask from it. Naruto had, upon much thought, decided to cash in the bounty on Zabuza, and thus had mailed the Demon of the Mist's scalp back to Kirigakure along with a return-address in Konoha.

Naruto then scoured every shop in Wave for a fitting gift to give Tenten. Ever since Gatou's defeat, merchants had poured into Wave like locusts to a crop. He found the gift in a tiny shop, tucked into a blind alley three blocks off the main street. The vendor's sign advertised "Foreign and Exotic Weapons", so Naruto, remembering how Tenten's eyes had lit up around any sort of armament, stepped inside.

The interior of the shop was dusty and smelled of leather and honing oil. Seeing no one about, Naruto stepped to the counter, moving around a hogshead filled with arrows and ducking between two racks of yari. Naruto rang the bell on the counter. The proprietor, an old man whose ash-white hair still bore faint traces of brown, stepped out of a back room. "How can I help you? It's not often that someone comes into my shop."

"I'm looking for a weapon."

The man laughed. "Of course you are. Why else would you step into a weapons shop? What kind do you need?"

Naruto drew his Peacemaker and laid it on the counter. "Do you have anything similar to this?"

The old man's eyes grew wide. "I've not seen a weapon like that in a long time. I may have something, though. Let me check in the back room." And with that the old shopkeeper vanished back into the other room. He emerged a few minutes later, a dusty wooden case tucked under one arm. "See if you like this." He laid the case upon the counter and opened it, spinning it to where Naruto could see the contents.

Inside lay a single Colt Peacemaker, a four-inch barrel Sherriff's Model. The grips were of beautifully-stained cherry, engraved and inlaid with steel, polished mirror-bright, in an ivy-leaf design. The frame, barrel, and cylinder were case-hardened, complimenting the grips. "It's beautiful," said Naruto in awe as he picked the pistol up and idly twirled it, testing the balance.

"Custom-ordered by a customer a few years back as a gift. Fellow never returned for his order, so I kept it in back in case someone ever wanted it. It's yours for the right price." Naruto asked the price and the shopkeeper quoted him one. It was far beyond what Naruto had on hand for cash.

Naruto uncased the Ferguson slung across his back. "I don't have the money, but would you take another weapon in trade?" Naruto pulled the Ferguson out of its case. The stock had been polished, the action oiled, and all the rust removed. "Ferguson rifle."

The old man nodded, took the rifle and case, and then reached behind his back and drew a pair of tomahawks. "A rifle for a pistol is hardly fair, so take these two tomahawks of mine as boot to go with the pistol."

Naruto smiled and nodded before sliding the axes into his belt and sealing the case into a scroll. As Naruto walked out the door, he gazed up at the sign above the shop's door, and it's simple 'J.W. Hardin, Weapons Foreign and Exotic' and smiled.

******************************

The trek back to Konoha was short and uneventful. As they bedded down the first night, Naruto made another pot of coffee and took a cup to Sakura, who was on first watch. "Eventful mission, eh, Sakura?"

"It was, Naruto. Did you ever find a gift for that girl you said you liked?"

"I did. I hope she likes it."

Sakura looked over to Naruto, and watched as he sipped from his cup of coffee. She'd come to realize that Naruto wasn't as one-dimensional as she'd thought he was. Sure, he was a prankster, and annoying at times, but he was also caring, and honest, and loyal. He'd had so few friends in his life that the ones he had, he treasured deeply. "Naruto, I don't think you're annoying anymore. I wish you the best of luck with your girl." Sakura, deciding to fill what could've been an awkward silence, changed the subject. "So, Naruto? Do you have any hobbies? Aside from your guns, and pranks, I mean?"

Naruto smirked a little. "I play guitar. James taught me; said it was good to have a hobby, and that music helped to keep my hands nimble. James played cards to do the same thing."

Sakura was intrigued. "Can I hear you play?"

Naruto dug a scroll out of his pack, unsealed his worn flat-top, and quickly tuned it. "This song's called 'Star of the County Down'." He started to play, and then sang.

_Near Bembridge town,_

_In the County Down,_

_One morning last July;_

_Down a bothrin green_

_Came a sweet colleen,_

_And she smiled as she passed me by._

_She looked so sweet from her two bare feet_

_To the sheen of her nut-brown hair;_

_Such a coaxing elf,_

_I'd to shake myself,_

_To be sure I was really there._

_From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay,_

_From Galway to Dublin town;_

_No maid I've seen like the brown colleen,_

_That I met in the County Down._

_As she onward sped,_

_I scratched my head,_

_And I looked with a feeling rare;_

_And I said, "Says I"_

_To a passer-by,_

"_Who's the maid with the nut-brown hair?"_

_He smiled at me_

_And with pride says he,_

"_She's the gem of Ireland's crown;_

_She's young Rosie McCann,_

_From the banks of the Bann;_

_She's the Star of the County Down."_

_From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay,_

_From Galway to Dublin town;_

_No maid I've seen like the brown colleen,_

_That I met in the County Down._

_At the Harvest Fair,_

_She'll surely be there,_

_So I'll dress in my Sunday clothes;_

_With my shoes shined bright_

_And my hat cocked right,_

_For a kiss from the nut-brown Rose._

_No pipe I'll smoke,_

_Nor horse I'll yoke,_

_Til my plow with rust turns brown;_

_Til a smiling bride,_

_By my own fireside,_

_Sits the Star of the County Down._

_From Bantry Bay up to Derry Quay,_

_From Galway to Dublin town;_

_No maid I've seen like the brown colleen,_

_That I met in the County Down…_

Naruto finished the song and looked at Sakura. She was smiling, and let out a chuckle. "It was really good, Naruto."

Naruto sealed his guitar away, and noticed the scroll he'd sealed when he was in the cave in Wave. He unsealed it and looked at it. It was large, leather-bound, and looked like it was very old. Naruto opened it and started to read. The scroll detailed how it was a pact and contract with one of the three "beasts of the foot" though it never said what that was. "Sakura, can you help me figure out what this scroll is? I found it in Wave, and just remembered it."

Sakura looked at the scroll in curiosity. "It looks like a Summoning Contract, though I don't know what a 'beast of the foot' is. But they say that Summons are sometimes a little eccentric. I heard once that Manda, the boss of the Snake Summons, demands human sacrifices from his Summoners. Well, sign it, and we can try to summon it tomorrow."

Naruto read the instructions on how to sign the contract, and duly pricked his finger before writing his name in blood and sealing it with a handprint. He reread the scroll, trying to decipher which creature he'd just bound himself to, and all he saw for a clue was a word he thought he remembered, in a foreign language he thought he'd heard once. 'Caballo'.

The next day, Naruto went to Kakashi and explained about the Summoning Contract, and how he'd like to try and summon one of these mysterious 'beasts of the foot' before they got back to Konoha. Kakashi, struck by curiosity, swiftly agreed and taught Naruto the hand seals for the Summoning Jutsu, and then found a large clearing.

Naruto bit his thumb, and poured every ounce of his chakra into the jutsu. In a huge flash of smoke there appeared a coal-black, red-eyed, only-slightly-larger-than-normal, horse. "Horses? I signed the Contract for Horses?" The stallion glared at Naruto before speaking.

"Don't sound too enthusiastic, kid." The stallion's voice carried a drawling accent similar to James' , but slightly different.

Naruto caught himself as he was about to make a smart-ass remark in kind. "You're the Boss of the Horses? I expected, uh, you know…" Naruto gestured grandly with his hands, indicating a much larger size.

The Horse snorted. "I'm not the Boss. I'm one of the under-bosses. And trust me, size ain't everything." As if to prove his words, the Horse reared, pawing at the air so fast that his hooves were blurs. Then he bucked, so high that Naruto could see the tops of trees beneath his hooves. "Every Summon has its own little way of testing a new Summoner. Your test for the Horses is simple. You have to ride me. Eight seconds, one-handed, no chakra, tools, or anything else but your own strength and cussedness. You do that, we'll recognize you as our Summoner, and I'll tell you my name."

Naruto whooped and vaulted onto the Horse's back, everyone watching. Naruto threw his left hand out behind him and grabbed a handful of mane with his right.

The Horse quit the earth. He ducked his head and blew straight up in air like he'd been launched. He kicked and crow-hopped. He bucked and rolled his belly in the air as if he were banking into turns. He jumped high and dove sharp for the ground, landing nearly vertical. All the while Naruto, grinning like a madman, held on for dear life. When the Horse finally came to a standstill, Naruto had to force his hand to release its death grip on the creature's mane, and slid limply off one side to land on the ground. Naruto rolled to his hands and knees, and was promptly sick. "I did it," he croaked between dry heaves.

The Horse chuckled. "So you did, kid. Name's Widowmaker. If you're ever up for another go-round, you know where to find me." And with that, the stallion disappeared.

Naruto's face suddenly lit up as if in recognition, and he let out a peal of laughter. "I just realized where I saw that word, caballo, before. It's Spanish! It means 'horse'!"

Sakura and Sasuke both looked confused, and Kakashi just shrugged and walked away. "Spanish?" asked Sakura.

Naruto smiled. "It's a language spoken very far to the west of here. James used to speak a little of it, and I speak even less." Naruto let out another chuckle and shouldered his warbag and pack again, and set back off down the trail to Konoha.

Sakura and Sasuske stood confused for a moment before following.


	5. Chapter 5

Tenten was running laps around Konoha's wall with Lee and Neji, her teammates, when she heard three cracks in the distance that she instantly recognized as Naruto's Schofield. _Naruto-kun's back! And it sounds like he's in trouble! Wait a minute, when did I start calling him Naruto-kun?_ She raced off without explanation to either of her teammates, bee-lining for the gate and preparing to defend her fellow ninja. The sight that greeted her was Naruto running for the gate, ahead of his team, who all looked like they were embarrassed to be associated with him. Tenten found herself smiling; she called out to the blond from atop the wall. "Naruto!"

Naruto heard Tenten's shout and looked up. "Tenten!" He sprinted ahead again, stopping only for the overworked Chunin at the gate to check his I.D. He and Tenten were talking when Sasuke and Sakura walked up. "Oh, hey, guys. Lemme introduce everyone. Tenten-chan, these are my teammates, Uchiha Sasuke, and Haruno Sakura. Guys, this is Ikegata Tenten." No one noticed the look of realization swiftly cross Sakura's face, and the sly wink she gave Naruto. "So, guys, any word to pass before I go and do my thing?"

Sakura and Sasuke both shrugged, which was their way of saying, nothing out of the ordinary, show up at the usual place at the usual time. They both left. Naruto turned back to Tenten. "Say, uh, Tenten-chan, you want to get something to eat? I'm about sick of my own cooking, to tell the truth." Naruto's stomach rumbled loudly right then, and Tenten laughed at his embarrassment.

"Come on, Naruto; let's feed you before you try to eat a bush or some stray Inuzuka dog or something." Tenten was joking with Naruto, but inside she was laughing, as two very similar thoughts ran through their heads.

_When did I start calling her Tenten-chan?_

_When did he start calling me Tenten-chan?_

As the two pondered their similar questions, they soon found themselves outside Ichiraku's. Naruto and Tenten sat down and ordered their ramen, and Naruto started describing the high points of his mission, and then listened as Tenten told of her and her team's training. It seemed to Naruto, that her sensei, Gai, was a fitness buff beyond belief.

Their conversation continued after they paid their tab and left, walking casually throughout Konoha. Tenten gasped when Naruto told her about Inari playing Russian Roulette, but sighed with relief when Naruto explained, and even demonstrated, how he'd switched the live round with an expended cartridge case. Finally, they came to a clearing in the forest, an old training ground, long unused by the look of it. Naruto reached into his bag and pulled out his storage scroll. He unsealed the case containing Tenten's pistol and slid it behind his back. "Um, Tenten-chan, I've got a confession to make."

Tenten paused in mid-step. "Yes, Naruto?" Tenten's heart started to flutter.

"Tenten, I've got to tell you, I've seen a few girls, and honestly, none of them ever caught my eye like you. I'd be honored, if you'd be my girlfriend?" This last part came out as a question due to Naruto's nervousness.

Tenten's face lit up. "I'd be delighted, Naruto-kun." She walked over and proved her point by kissing him then and there.

When they came up for air, Naruto reached next to the tree he was leaned against and pulled up the case. "I got you a gift in Wave. I kinda figured you weren't the flowers and candy type, so I had to look a little to find it." He held the case out to Tenten, and she opened it.

How her face had lit up earlier when Naruto had asked her to be his girlfriend, was nothing compared to the utter kid-in-a-candy-store look on her face when she lovingly picked the Peacemaker up out of the case. "Naruto-kun, you got me a weapon like yours," she cooed as she kissed him again.

"That one's a Sherriff's Model, so the barrel is three inches shorter than my Cavalry Model. I just saw the wood and the steel it was inlaid with, and thought it would be perfect for a girl who wants to master every weapon she can. I hope you like it, Tenten-chan."

"I love it, Naruto-kun." The rest of their evening was spent talking and cuddling, throwing Naruto's tomahawks and Bowie, and practicing with their pistols. Naruto finally bid Tenten a fond adieu, and left her with an invitation to go hunting with him sometime and directions to his apartment.

* * *

The next morning, Tenten skipped down the stairs to breakfast. Her father was stunned; his daughter was by no means a morning person. "You're looking cheerful this morning, Tenten."

Tenten just smiled, remembering her evening with Naruto. "It's a sunny day, the birds are singing; what's not to be cheerful about, Dad?"

Her dad chuckled and wished Tenten good luck with her day as she went out the door.

Lee and Neji were waiting when she arrived at their meeting place. "Good morning, Lee, Neji."

"Good morning, Tenten. Your flames of youth are burning very brightly today," spoke Lee. Neji nodded an acknowledgement of her greeting and went back to bird-watching.

Tenten leaned against her favorite target tree and pulled her revolver out of her waistband. She held it lovingly, admiring the way that the light played off the grips and the steel ivy leaves inlaid into them. So beautiful, yet so deadly at the same time…

"What's that, Tenten?" asked Lee as he did his fifth set of pushups for the day. It was odd that Gai-sensei hadn't arrived yet. He was usually the first person to greet Tenten in the morning.

"It's a new weapon. A Colt Single-Action Army Revolver, or Peacemaker, for short. It's a gift from my boyfriend."

This stopped Lee in mid-pushup, and jerked Neji's attention from the nest of finches he'd been watching. "Boyfriend?" they both asked in unison.

"Yes, a boyfriend. He asked me out last night."

"Who is this most youthful young man, Tenten?" asked Lee inquisitively. Neji looked on in mild curiosity.

"Uzumaki Naruto Hickok, the Shootist." Tenten beamed as she said this.

Neji snorted and went back to watching birds, and Lee challenged Tenten to spar with him. As they squared off, their sensei, Maito Gai, arrived in a swirl of leaves. He explained that the team had the rest of the week off from work, to prepare for the upcoming Chunin Exams. He stressed that they still train, but that they were excused from missions. With that, he dismissed them. Tenten ran back to her house to grab a few things. She planned to take Naruto up on his invitation to hunt with him.

* * *

Naruto was strolling down the street, pondering why it was that Kakashi-sensei felt that his team was ready for the Chunin Exams when they'd been a team barely a month. All thoughts were dashed from his head as he passed an alleyway only to be grabbed from behind, spun around, and then forcibly thrown against a wall. In front of him stood a boy in a horrible green spandex jumpsuit, with huge eyebrows and a bowl haircut. "Uzumaki Naruto Hickok? I'm a friend of Ikegata Tenten's, and I would like to give you a word of friendly advice. Her flames of youth are bright, and shine even brighter when she thinks of you." He held up a brick in front of Naruto's face. "Should you ever be the cause for her flames of youth to dim or go out, there will be dire consequences." With that, Lee crushed the brick in his hand to powder. He let Naruto go, and started to walk away.

Naruto stopped him. "You needn't worry about that, Lee," the Shootist said. "Tenten told me about you and Neji. That's how I know who you are. I promise you I'll never hurt her. You have my word on that." Naruto walked out of the alley and back to his apartment.

Tenten was waiting at the foot of the stairs when Naruto walked up. "Hi, Naruto-kun!" she chirped. "Gai-sensei gave us the rest of the week off to prep for the Chunin Exams, and I thought I'd take you up on that offer to go hunting. Are you free?"

Naruto smiled and nodded. "I'm free, Tenten-chan. Kakashi-sensei put my team up for the Exams, too. He did like yours did and gave us the rest of the week. Come on inside, and we'll get ready to hunt." They made their way up to Naruto's apartment and stepped inside. Naruto rooted around until he found the scroll with his other weapons in it, and laid it out on his bed. "You can use my Henry, Tenten-chan. I've got another rifle I can use. You have your Peacemaker, right?" At her nod, Naruto unsealed his Spencer and handed the Henry to Tenten. Naruto quickly loaded the Spencer and dropped a couple of extra boxes of ammunition for it and his other guns into his warbag. The two set out, Naruto carrying his Spencer, his Schofield, and his shotgun, while Tenten had the Henry, her Peacemaker tucked into a pocket.

When the two arrived in the forest, Naruto started looking for game sign. After a while, he found a deer trail, and started following the tracks of a what looked to be a fairly good-sized buck. All the while, Tenten followed him, the Henry ready. They soon lost the trail in a creek, but Naruto kept searching for sign, finding boar tracks. They followed the trail for a quarter-mile, then Naruto gestured for Tenten to freeze.

There in front of them was the boar, a massive beast with double-tusks. "Okay, Tenten-chan. You want this one, or do I take him?" whispered Naruto quietly as they watched the pig rooting at the base of a tree.

"I'll take him, Naruto."

"He's quartering away, so aim about an inch or so behind his front leg." Tenten eased the rifle to her shoulder, thumbed back the hammer, and took aim. Her shot struck cleanly, piercing the boar's right lung and heart. The boar dropped where he stood. Naruto cocked the Spencer and moved forward. Boars were tricky; sometimes a hunter only _thought_ the boar was dead, and paid the price for it. But the pig was dead, and Naruto rapidly drew his knife and began skinning it. "Good shot, Tenten-chan. You drilled him clean." Naruto quickly finished skinning and gutting, and expertly quartered up the carcass and sealed it in a scroll to keep it fresh. "Let's keep hunting and see if we can get something to fill my pantry." They set out again; they flushed a brace of pheasants, which Naruto potted with his shotgun, and then jumped up a deer. The buck took off running, only to be taken squarely by a shot from Naruto's Spencer. As Naruto cleaned his deer, Tenten twirled her Peacemaker, the dying sunlight flashing off of the inlay. Naruto found himself distracted from the buck by the beauty of Tenten as she made her pistol dance. Naruto quickly forced himself to focus on the deer, and got it skinned and quartered, and sealed all into his scroll. "Let's head back, Tenten-chan. I've got all the meat I need. If you want, you can stay for supper at my place. I was planning on some venison stew and biscuits."

Tenten smiled. "I'd love to, Naruto-kun." she kissed his cheek and they started walking back to the village.

They returned to Naruto's apartment, and while Naruto got the ingredients together for his stew, Tenten sat on the edge of his bed and, under Naruto's watchful eye, cleaned her revolver, and the Henry she'd used to hunt. Naruto had originally said that he'd clean all the weapons later that evening, but Tenten insisted that she'd at least clean the Henry, because she was the one who'd used it. Naruto whistled a tune as he cut up the venison for the stew, and then chopped up what vegetables he had that weren't bad and added them. He delved into the deepest recesses of his refrigerator and came out with a bottle of hot sauce, and added a dash of it along with some other seasonings. As the stew simmered, he mixed the dough for his biscuits and started his oven heating. Then he turned to Tenten and smiled. "Hey, Tenten-chan, did you know that I play guitar?" He pulled out his guitar and leaned against the wall. He strummed a few chords and then looked at Tenten. She was smiling.

"Play something, Naruto-kun."

Naruto played "Tyin' Knots in the Devil's Tail." Tenten laughed as he started singing the lyrics.

_Now way up high _

_In the Sierra peaks,_

_Where the yellow-jack pines grow tall,_

_Ol' Sandy Bob and Buster Jiggs_

_Had a round-up camp last fall._

_Well, they taken their horses_

_And the runnin' iron,_

_And mebbe a dog or two,_

_And they swore they'd brand all the long-eared calves_

_That came within their view._

_And any old dogie that flapped long ears_

_And didn't bush up by day_

_Got his long ears whittled and his old hide scorched_

_In a most artistic way._

_One fine day Ol' Sandy Bob,_

_He throwed his siego down;_

"_I'm sick of the smell of this burnin' hair,_

_And I 'lows I'm goin' to town."_

_So they saddles up,_

_And they hits 'em a lope,_

_For it weren't no side of a ride;_

_And them was the days when a buckaroo_

_Could oil up his insides._

_They starts her off at the Kentucky Bar,_

_At the head of Whiskey Row,_

_And they ends up down by the Depot House,_

_Some forty drinks below._

_Then sets up and turns around,_

_And goes her the other way,_

_And to tell you the Godforsaken truth,_

_Them boys got stewed that day._

_As they was a-ridin' back to camp,_

_Packin' a pretty good load,_

_Who should they meet but the Devil himself_

_a-prancin' down the road._

_Says he, "You ornery cowboy skunks,_

_You'd better hunt yer holes,_

_For I've come up from_

_Hell's rim rock to gather in your souls."_

_Ol' Sandy Bob says, "Devil, be damned._

_We boys is kinda tight,_

_But you ain't gonna get no cowboy souls_

_Without one helluva fight."_

_So Sandy Bob punched a hole in his rope,_

_And he swang'er straight and true;_

_He lapped onto the Devil's horns,_

_And he taken his dallies too._

_Now Buster Jiggs was a riata man,_

_With his gut-line coiled up neat._

_He shakes her out,_

_And built him a loop,_

_And he lassoed up the Devil's hind feet._

_They stretched him out,_

_And they tailed him down,_

_While the irons was gettin' hot;_

_They cropped and swallow-forked_

_Both his ears,_

_And they branded him up a lot._

_They pruned him up with a dehorning saw,_

_And knotted his tail for a joke,_

_Then rode off and left him there,_

_Necked to a blackjack oak._

_So if you're ever up high_

_In the Sierra peaks,_

_And you hear one hell of a wail,_

_Why, you'll know it's that Devil_

_a-bellerin' about,_

_The knots tied in his tail._

Naruto ended the song, and looked to Tenten, who was doubled over laughing at the ridiculous lyrics. Naruto laughed and put his biscuits in the oven to bake. He sat down next to Tenten and hugged her.

"How do you do it, Naruto?"

"Do what, Tenten?"

"How do you stay so happy, so cheerful? I've seen how most people treat you. I'd be a sobbing wreck by now if I were in your position." Tenten was genuinely sad for Naruto. People treated him like scum no matter where he went. She wasn't sure she'd have been able to survive it, much less thrive like Naruto seemed to have done. And she surely wouldn't be smiling all the time.

Naruto shrugged. "They don't know me. Not really. So I just write most folks off as fools and go on. Because if I listened to them, I'd never be able to reach my goals. I will become Hokage someday, and then they'll have to acknowledge me." Naruto pulled his t-shirt over his head and turned, revealing a tattoo across his upper back. It was a supple, fluid script, that read 'Prefiero Morir de Pie, Que Vivir Siempre de Avrodillado'.

Tenten was confused. "What does it mean? I've never seen a language like it."

Naruto put his shirt back on and turned to face her. "It's the only whole phrase I know of a language from way west of here called Spanish. It's my reminder not to give in for anything. It means 'I'd rather Die on my Feet, than Live Forever on my Knees'."

Tenten's eyes had begun to tear as she listened to Naruto explain why he never gave up, and always kept going. He acted like he didn't care, but Naruto's eyes were more expressive than any other part of him, and she could see the sadness hidden by the fool's mask he put on. She wrapped him up in a warm hug. "Naruto-kun, if no one else believes in you, I do. You'll do great things, Naruto-kun, I can feel it."

Naruto nearly cried when she said that. "Thank you, Tenten-chan." He stood and went to his oven to check his biscuits. They were done, so he pulled them out and washed two bowls before ladling the stew out into them. "Come and get it, Tenten-chan. It isn't five-star, but it'll fill the hollow spot."

Tenten tried a bite of the stew and declared it good, and she and Naruto sat and ate, talking of random things between bites. They talked of the weather, and the Exams, and their dreams, Naruto to become Hokage, and his goal of avenging James, while Tenten told of how she wanted to become as strong as her idol, Lady Tsunade of the Sannin. But soon the hour grew late, and Tenten took her leave of Naruto, politely declining his offer to walk her home or let her stay the night at his apartment. "Good night, Naruto-kun."

"Good night, Tenten-chan."

* * *

That night, as Naruto lay sleeping, he dreamed. He suddenly found himself in a dark sewer, unarmed. "Where am I?" He looked around, finding no sign or signal that might lead him out. Looking up, he saw pipes on the ceiling, blue and red, running in both directions down the passageway. "Pipes gotta lead somewhere," he mused to himself, and started following them. They branched out down side corridors periodically, but Naruto kept following the main trunk lines, until he exited into a colossal vaulted chamber. Before him stood a towering wall of bars, dividing the chamber Naruto stood in from another of equal size. Hanging from a door set into the bars was a slip of paper, with but one word on it.

"Seal?" read Naruto out loud. He stepped back in surprise and fear when a deep voice echoed from within the other chamber.

"**Who awakens the Kyuubi no Kitsune?" **Within the cage the great demon opened one red eye, as big as a millwheel. **"So, the jailor finally deigns to meet his charge. What brings you into the recesses of your mind?"**

"I don't know how I got here. Wait, we're in my mind? God, this place looks like Hell," mused Naruto as he took in the squalor of his surroundings. It suddenly hit him who he was talking to. "Wait a damned minute! You're the KYUUBI NO KITSUNE!!!!"

The demon laughed at his jailor's reaction. **"Yes. I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And, gaki, it **_**is **_**your mind. You could change it if you wanted. As is, you dump all your negative emotions here, so your mindscape changes to reflect that. You're the one responsible for the pitiful state of my jail."**

Naruto gaped at the huge eye, and the hulking form he saw connected to it. "If you've been here since the day I was born, how come I never heard you or talked to you before now?"

"**The seal was too strong. When you lost Hickok, it weakened. When you thought you lost the Uchiha, it finally cracked enough for me to contact you. And I'd like to say this much, gaki. Though it may be the most often-overused ploy of prisoners everywhere, I tell you now, and swear it on each of my tails, that I was set up. My mate, my kits. All of them were slain while I was away. The only evidence was a Konoha hitai-ate and a glimpse of a shinobi who smelled like snakes with blood on his sword. I don't ask freedom. I ask only that you understand, kit, and that you don't have the seal tightened again."**

Naruto nodded gravely. "I can't say I believe you yet, Kyuubi-san. But I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. Don't make me regret it." Naruto then visualized, focused and concentrated, and the rancid sewer of his mind was replaced with a deep forest and glade; the bars of the seal replaced by an iron collar with the seal upon it around the fox's neck. "A little freedom. Even prisoners on Death Row get a little yard time." Naruto walked out of a convenient door and awoke to the sunrise. But as he left, he caught the slightest hint of gratitude from his tenant.

* * *

Naruto and Team Seven met outside the doors of the Ninja Academy the following Monday. Naruto was outfitted with all his guns, the ones not in use sealed into a storage scroll with extra ammunition and extra supplies. He didn't know what was in store, but he'd be damned if he was going into it under-prepared. They walked in, and up the stairs.

There in front of door 301, their intended destination, was a crowd of Genin. He could hear Tenten ahead talking to someone. She'd told him about her team's plan to act weak, and not display their true talents. There in front of the door stood a pair of teens, as if guarding it, prattling on about how they'd failed the test three times, and the responsibilities of Chunin. _**"Gaki, those two are using henge, and there's a genjutsu in the air,"**_ spoke the Kyuubi in Naruto's mind. Naruto almost visibly flinched at being startled like that. He'd gotten used to the idea of the fox talking to him via the link in his mind, but it still startled him to hear from Kyuubi out of the blue like that.

"Please, just let us through," begged Tenten just before the larger of the two people guarding the door backhanded her across the face. As he drew back to strike again, he found himself slammed to the ground, Naruto sitting astride his chest. He gagged as the grip Naruto had on his throat tightened.

Naruto snarled, throwing off so much unintentional Killing Intent that weaker-willed Genin in the crowd nearly fouled themselves. "I swear, Izumo, if you hit her again, I'll kill you," hissed the blond Genin. Izumo nodded as best he could, as his face rapidly shifted shades from red to an ugly maroon color as more and more oxygen was kept from his brain. Naruto let go and stood, then helped Tenten up from where she'd landed. "Sakura, Sasuke, come on. Tenten-chan, please bring your team. This isn't where we need to be." Teams Seven and Gai followed the boy, all but Neji and Sasuke looking confused.

Naruto stopped by a seemingly blank section of wall, and then turned. "You okay, Ten-chan?"

Tenten nodded, brushing a stray fleck of blood from her lip where it had split on her teeth. "But why are we here? The door's back there, isn't it?"

Sasuke snorted. "No. It's not. I can't believe the Dobe actually saw through the genjutsu. We're still on the second floor."

Naruto smirked and flipped Sasuke the bird. "Course I did, Teme. It was as obvious as your ego." Naruto pointed toward the wall behind him. "Stairs are through there." He then left through the genjutsu and went upstairs.

The others joined him in a moment. "Let's go, guys. We're almost there." Up ahead stood a door. They were stopped by Lee. The bushy-browed fighter spoke to Sasuke.

"Uchiha, before we go in, I'd like you to fight me." Sasuke smirked, while Naruto and Tenten groaned. Well, Tenten groaned. Naruto disguised his chuckle as a groan.

As the two squared off, Naruto turned to Sakura. "Sakura, I'll bet you thirty-five Ryou that Sasuke loses in less than two minutes and never gets hit by a single ninjutsu or genjutsu."

Sakura was appalled. "Naruto! How could you say that! Of course Sasuke won't get hit, but he'll win! I'll guarantee it. You're on!"

Tenten chuckled at the exchange between Naruto and his teammate. Naruto had listened to her talk about her team, and so he knew all about Lee and Neji.

Naruto stepped out between the two fighters and raised a hand, the other holding a watch. "BEGIN!!"

The two came together in a blurred rush, then ricocheted off one another, only to rebound and strike again and again. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and realized why he was having trouble with Lee. "Speed-demon…" Sasuke caught Lee's arms in the next rush, and began to grapple, only to find himself overmatched in strength as well as speed.

Naruto smirked as he watched, and Sakura was flabbergasted at the sight of her beloved Sasuke-kun getting beaten to within an inch of his life. "How? How is he beating Sasuke?"

Naruto leaned in and spoke. "The Sharingan improves your reaction time mentally. Sasuke can probably see every blow coming in. But the Sharingan doesn't improve your reaction physically. Truth is, Sasuke can see them, but he's too slow to block or dodge. Lee's a taijutsu freak. It's his thing. You see, Sakura, in Lee's opinion, there's two kinda people. There's geniuses by birth, like Sasuke-teme or Hyuuga Neji, who have bloodlines that make them insanely powerful. And then there's folks like Lee, who had to work their asses off every minute of every day, just get marginally powerful. Lee is physically unable to mold chakra at all. He can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. So he trains himself insanely every day to become so good at taijutsu that it makes up for his lack of chakra molding. That's all Lee, all muscle, all determination. Lee's what they call a 'Genius of Hard Work'. Oh, here comes the finisher." They all turned in time to see Lee kick Sasuke in the chin, launching the red-eyed boy into the air, where Lee was suddenly right below him, in his shadow. Lee's bandages unraveled and started to wrap Sasuke.

Tenten saw this and panicked. "Naruto-kun! Stop him! Don't let him use it!" Naruto reacted out of instinct and whipped a tomahawk through the air, neatly clipping through one of Lee's bandages, just as the other was pinned to the wall by a pinwheel.

Lee landed, and Sasuke landed nearby, unconscious. Naruto checked his watch. "Minute and a half, Sakura. He never once took a hit from nin- or genjutsu, and he's obviously the loser."

Sakura was ignoring Naruto, instead opting to try and care for Sasuke. Naruto watched as Gai, Lee and Tenten's sensei, appeared and scolded Lee for almost revealing his technique. Naruto turned to Tenten and kissed her cheek, then went to collect his team and go on to the next room.

As Team Seven entered the short corridor leading to the next room, they saw Kakashi ahead. "Congrats, team. You're all here, so now you can take the exam. I lied about the application being individual decision. I didn't want you to bully your teammates into taking the exam. But you're here, so go on and do me proud." He stepped out of the way and Team Seven entered the room.

* * *

Room 301 was packed with ninja, representing every Hidden Village. Near the door, Team Seven took stock of their competition. Naruto looked around and spotted the other members of the Rookie Nine, Teams Eight and Ten. A willowy blond girl, Yamanaka Ino of Team Ten, detached herself from the group and made her way over to where Sasuke stood. She wrapped herself around the Uchiha, and proceeded to use every feminine wile she had on him. Her advances were not returned.

This was not taken well by Sakura. "Get off him, Ino-pig." Sakura snarled ferally at Ino.

"He's not yours, Billboard-Brow," snapped the blond in return, unwinding herself from around Sasuke. "And besides, everyone knows that men prefer blonds."

Sakura prepared to beat the hell out of her rival, when they were interrupted by a silver-haired Konoha Genin. "You might not want to start anything here. The folks here are all on edge, especially those guys." He pointed to a group of ninja from Hidden Rain, who all bore the same expression of barely-contained frustration and anger. "I'm Kabuto. You all look like you're fresh out of the Academy. Let me give you some advice…" Naruto tuned the boy out an ignored him, preferring to sit back and hone his tomahawks and Bowie knife. Naruto caught motion out of the corner of his eye and looked up just in time to see a bandaged Genin with an eight note on his headband swing and miss Kabuto's face. Kabuto suddenly doubled over and puked, his glasses cracked. _How did he do that? He missed cleanly…_

From the front of the room came a bang as multiple people appeared suddenly. The largest, a scar-faced Konoha ninja in a black trench coat yelled. "Alright, you miserable whelps! Quiet down or I'll disqualify all of you! My name is Morino Ibiki, and I'm the Examiner for the first portion of the Chunin Selection Exams! From here on out you play by my rules! First is there will be no fighting unless I allow it, and even then, you will not be allowed to use lethal force. Now, your current seating arrangement is bad, so everyone will file up to the front, take a number, and go to the seat that matches your number. Once everyone's seated we'll begin the written portion of the Exam."

_A paper test?! Oh, shit, I suck at paper tests!_ Naruto nearly panicked when he heard the Proctor's announcement. He took his number and sat down. _Kyuubi-san, can you help me with this test? Please?_

"_**I can help you with this test, gaki. I've been around for a long time, and there is not much that I do not know."**_

Ibiki spoke again. "The rules for the written exam are simple. I'm not going to repeat myself, so listen closely. Each Genin starts out with ten points. There are ten questions on this test, and each wrong answer subtracts a point from that Genin's score. The teams with the highest scores will move on to the Second Portion of the Exams. Further, we will subtract two points for every time we catch you cheating."

Naruto was almost calmed at this point. He was sure that Sakura and Sasuke would score well on the test; all he had to do was try not to make too many mistakes.

Ibiki went on. "Oh, and one more thing. If you lose all ten points, not only do you fail, but your entire team fails as well. You have one hour to complete the test. Begin!"

"_Kyuubi-san, are you sure you can help me?"_

"_**I will help you, gaki. I'm sure I know whatever's on that paper." **_Naruto turned over his paper and looked at the questions. Kyuubi's reaction was less than inspiring.

"_**I don't know that stuff. I'm sorry I can't help you with the answers, but maybe we can pick up the answers another way." **_Naruto could almost feel the Fox smiling mischievously.

"_And how do you propose we do that? If we get caught cheating, then it's the end for all of us."_

"_**Precisely, Kit. If we get **_**caught**_** cheating. Just let me have control of your ears for a second, and I'll have the answers for you."**_ Naruto gave the Fox the benefit of the doubt, and relinquished control of his ears. In a moment, Kyuubi spoke again in his mind, relaying the answers from where Akamaru, the ninja-dog of Konoha Team Eight's Inuzuka Kiba, was relaying them to his master. Naruto wrote the answers down and waited. The exam paper said that the tenth question would be an oral question, given fifteen minutes prior to the end of the test.

Forty-five minutes passed, and Ibiki once more spoke. Several teams had gotten sloppy, and been ejected, but many teams still remained. Ibiki spoke. "Now for the tenth question. Before we give the question, I have to explain the Rules of Desperation. First, you must choose whether or not to take the question. If you decline the question, you immediately fail, and your team along with you." He quickly silenced several voices from the crowd and continued. "But, if you choose to take the question, and answer incorrectly, that person will be permanently ineligible for the Chunin Exams. You won't be able to take the test ever again."

A blond girl from Hidden Sand stood. "What do you mean, permanently ineligible? There are people here who've taken the Exams before."

Ibiki glared at her. "Those other times, they didn't have me as a proctor. Now I'm in charge, and it's my rules. So, if you decline to take the question, raise your hand, give your name, and then take your team and leave." Several Genin raised their hands, and were duly escorted out with their teams.

Naruto started to raise his hand, then abruptly slammed it down on the desk in front of him. He was on his feet, a fierce look on his face. "You think you can scare me with that? It doesn't matter if I stay a Genin for the rest of my days! I'll still become Hokage! I _never _back down! It's my Nindo, my Ninja Way! And it's my Way of the Shootist! I will attain my goals, no matter what! Come Hell or High Water, I WILL!!!"

The others in the room heard Naruto's outburst, and took heart from his speech. No more hands went up. Ibiki looked out over the crowd. _Inspiring. Very Inspiring. _"All those who have remained… you pass. There was really no tenth question beyond the take-or-leave part…" He went on to explain the sometimes necessity of taking risks without knowledge of the consequences. To emphasize, he removed the black bandanna over his head, to reveal the long slices, burns, and punctures of when he was tortured.

Suddenly from the side of the room, a window exploded inward as a large black bundle crashed through. Out of the bundle came four kunai with ropes attached, which tugged the bundle open into a banner, which read, "SECOND EXAM PROCTOR, MITARASHI ANKO, IS NOW HERE!!!" In front of the banner stood a lithe, athletically-built woman with purple hair and feral eyes. She wore a formfitting fishnet bodysuit, black skintight shorts, and a buff-colored trench coat. "Alright, you twerps, I'm the second Examiner, Mitarashi Anko!" She saw the crowd and looked to Ibiki.

Ibiki looked right back. "Don't you think you could have found a less expensive way to make an entrance?"

"No. But damn, Ibiki, you're losing your touch. You left me with twelve teams. Thirty-six Genin."

"What can I say, Anko. There are a lot of good ones in the bunch this year."

Well, we'll see if they've really got the stuff. I guarantee I'll cut this mob in half by the end of my phase." This pronouncement left several people shuddering in anxiety. "Now, follow me!" She took off swiftly, the Genin in tow.

* * *

"This is it, ladies. Training Ground 44, affectionately known as the Forest of Death. The site of the Second Phase of the Exam." Anko looked at the assembled crowd of Genin and smiled.

Naruto grinned his fox grin, and spun the cylinder of his Peacemaker. "Doesn't look too scary to me."

Naruto saw Anko's hand flash, and felt his cheek stinging. Anko had thrown a kunai and nicked his face. Anko appeared behind him and leaned over his shoulder. "It's the loud ones like you who die first, but I don't mind. Your blood tastes sweeter…" She leaned in and licked the trickle of blood from the cut.

Naruto turned and looked at her just as a Genin from Kusagakure, the Village of Hidden Grass, handed Anko back her kunai. Using his tongue, which was abnormally long, to say the least.

Anko went on to explain the exercise, in which half of the teams would receive a scroll marked 'Heaven' and the other half a scroll marked 'Earth'. The objective was to bring both scrolls to the tower in the center of the forest, within five days, and with all members more or less intact. Each team signed a waiver indemnifying Konoha against their possible (and highly likely) death, and received their scroll.

Naruto was the one from his team who received the scroll. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it, then remarked loudly, "Okay, we got a Heaven Scroll. Cool." This earned him a swat from Sakura and a glare from Sasuke.

"Why did you do that, Naruto?! Now everyone knows which scroll we have!" yelled Sakura angrily, all the while rearing back for another strike.

Naruto pulled his slouch hat off of his head, straightened the crown on it, and leaned close, pulling Sasuke in close with him. "Simple. We have a Heaven. We need an Earth. Other teams with a Heaven don't need another, while teams with an Earth need a Heaven."

Sasuke's eyes lit up. "So you just eliminated half of the competition, while baiting the half we need. Naruto, that was actually pretty smart."

"I only _act_ like an idiot, Sasuke."

At that moment the bell for the start of the exam rang, and the gates swung open. Teams rushed into the forest, and before long, screams echoed across the trees, as teams began to fall. Some to nature, some to each other. Team Seven made good time into the forest, and stopped to rest a moment. Naruto excused himself to go and relieve himself, returning in a moment or so. "Hey, guys. I'm back." His answer was a kunai whistling past his head, hurled by Sasuke.

"Drop the Henge. Naruto's right-handed, so his kunai holster is on his right leg, Southpaw. You're even worse at disguises than the dobe." The impostor dropped the illusion, revealing himself as a Rain ninja. He wordlessly charged, throwing kunai and shuriken as he came. He was interrupted mid-stride by a low whistling noise and a deep, wet thud. He froze, his eyes glazing over as he toppled to the ground. There behind him stood Naruto, his pants held up with one hand and the other still outstretched from throwing the tomahawk now embedded in the Ame-nin's skull.

"He caught me with my pants down. Literally. I mean, who'd ambush a guy in the middle of taking a piss?!" His rant was cut short by Sakura bashing him in the head and telling him to watch what he said around girls.

Sasuke cut in. "We need a password. Something to identify each other so that doesn't happen again. Naruto came over after he finished looting the Ame-nin's corpse for weapons, gear, and valuables. He sealed the spoils into a scroll and slid it back into his warbag. The three crouched down and as Sasuke spoke, he also began to move his hands in what the others recognized as sign language.

"The challenge is 'Asano'. The response is Lord Asano's death poem. 'I wish I had seen/The end of Spring/But I do not miss/The falling of the Cherry Blossoms'." At the same time he signed, _"In case someone's listening to us right now, there's a second challenge and password. You guys have heard that new foreign song 'Hair-Trigger Colt .44' by Chris Ledoux?" _At the other two's nod, he continued. _"Use a line from it in a sentence. Got it?" _Both nodded.

Naruto looked at Sasuke. "Hey, teme. You mind doing me a favor?"

"What's that, dobe?"

"That bushwhacking Rain ninja is startin' to stink. You mind gettin' rid of him?" I'll scout ahead and find a new campsite."

Just as Naruto was about to stand up, a huge gust of wind whipped up from nowhere, blowing the blond totally out of the clearing, and scattering the other two to opposite sides of the large clearing. Sasuke stood, drawing a kunai. Sakura came stumbling out of the brush. "Sasuke-kun! Are you alright?" Sakura started toward him but was brought up short by Sasuke's shout.

"Sakura, Asano! I'm an outlaw now, but I was a hero then."

"Oh, right! I wish I had seen/The end of Spring/But I do not miss/The falling of the Cherry Blossoms." She scowled at Sasuke and rubbed her forehead. "Lord, I if I had only known the misery; that glory's something not worth killing for." She took her place at his side and they turned back-to-back, kunai out and ready.

Meanwhile, Naruto had landed, only to be swallowed by a giant snake. "Dammit, this sucks! Do I look like snake-chow to you!?!" He reached behind his back and pulled his Parker, then created six Shadow Clones. "Alright, boys, both barrels, on 'Fire'. The seven Narutos thumbed the rabbit-ears back on their shotguns, and waited. "Ready! Aim! SAY HEARTBURN, MOTHER-F%&^ER!!!!! FIRE!!" The seven Narutos simultaneously unleashed fourteen barrels of double-ought buckshot into an area of the snake's belly the size of a human being. This weakened the tissue enough for Naruto, upon dispersing his clones, to slice his way out of the snake with his Bowie. "Now to find Sasuke and Sakura." He followed the sound of conflict until he came upon his teammates, hunkered behind a tree, visibly shaken. They were so scared of whatever was out there that they failed to notice the huge viper that was slowly and silently gliding down from the tree behind them, fangs poised to strike. Naruto drew his Schofield and fired twice, killing the snake and startling the others. Naruto ran out of the bushes, and drew his Peacemaker. "I can't remember that damned poem, Sasuke-teme. But I do know that I'm a man that's gone to Hell with Heaven's blessing. What's going on?"

Sasuke's response was short and clipped as he looked around. "Grass-nin. The one with the long tongue. Tried to impersonate you, but whoever he is, he's way out of our league, Naruto. We've gotta run, maybe if we give him our scroll, he'll let us go."

"Won't work, Teme. You don't know for sure if he'll let us go, and besides, when were _you_, the high-and-mighty, 'Last Loyal Uchiha', ever scared of anything? I say we fight." Naruto's speech was cut short by the corpse of the snake he'd killed splitting open, to reveal the Grass-nin in question.

"The short one speaks the truth, Uchiha. Who is to say that the predator would let his prey go, even with such an appetizer. No, I'd think it best if the little mice died trying to fight." And with that, he lunged, and was then brought up short by a pistol ball from Naruto. The bullet tore through his chest, and the Grass-nin dissolved into mud. A Tsuchi Bunshin. A Mud Clone. "Now, now, young one, no need to be too hasty. Perhaps you'd like to play with one of my pets," spoke the man as he appeared from the trees a few yards away. He bit his thumb, and swiped the blood down a tattoo on his arm. "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Another colossal serpent appeared, and made directly for Naruto. Naruto swiftly used Kawarimi to replace himself with a chunk of log, and fired his Sharps directly into the beast's right eye, killing it and causing it to vanish in a great gout of smoke.

Naruto bit his own thumb and performed the seals for his own Summoning. "I'll see you a Summon, and raise you two more, Snake-Bastard! Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" In a flash and smoke appeared three mares, one a blue roan, another a strawberry roan, and the other, white as snow. Their saddle pads read 'War', 'Destruction', and 'Death'.

The white spoke, in a low, hollow voice. "Who calls upon the Morrigan?"

"I called," said Naruto. "I called you to deal with this Snake-Bastard!"

The strawberry roan replied. "Ah, so you are the Maelstrom that so impressed Widowmaker. I am Badb. My sisters are Nemain and Macha. We three are the Morrigan. Unmatched in battle, save by the Boss, and the Hero Twins. We ask a price be paid of our service, though, young Maelstrom. One bite each, of your flesh." Naruto gulped and held out his arm. The three horses each nipped his arm, drawing blood, but the wounds swiftly healed. "Now, to battle!" They charged the stunned Grass-nin. Each fall of Badb's hooves threw sparks of fire, and the earth in her tracks was scorched black. Flames began to lick from her nostrils. Each strike of her hooves exploded in a burst of flame. Nemain reared and pawed, her hooves throwing off waves of chakra that sliced through tree and bush like razors through water. Macha merely neighed, releasing a cloud of chakra that caused everything within a hundred-meter radius to wither and die.

Naruto quickly reloaded and shouted to his teammates. "Now, while he's distracted! Let's get him!" The three launched into battle alongside the horses. Sasuke darted among the horses, launching shuriken and kunai, and the odd Katon jutsu. Sakura added her own kunai and shuriken to the fray, while Naruto and his numerous Kage Bunshins, fearing hitting Sakura or Sasuke, tied in with the Bowie, darting and cutting.

They backed the Grass-nin up against a tree, and Sasuke pinned him there with wire tied to several shuriken. Badb squared up on the Grass ninja.. "Uchiha! Now, together!" she shouted. Sasuke placed the wires into his mouth and began making hand signs. They both released their jutsu at the same time, a huge gout of fire from Badb, and Sasuke's Ryuka no Jutsu, burning the man to a crisp. Or so they thought. They watched in horror as the man reached up, and peeled his face, or the Grass ninja's face, off, revealing his true face, a thin, golden-eyed man.

"What a waste of a good disguise. You've found me out. I am Orochimaru." And with that the man slithered, literally slithered, out of the burned skin, and free of the wires.

The Kyuubi was going wild inside Naruto's head, slamming against the bars of the seal and roaring to be set free. _**"LET ME OUT, WHELP!!! IT'S HIM!!! IT'S THE ONE WHO KILLED MY MATE AND KITS, THE ONE WHO SET ME UP!!! LET ME FREE!!!"**_

Naruto was flooded with the Kyuubi's chakra. His nail lengthened into claws, and his eyes grew red and slitted once more. Naruto pounced at Orochimaru, tearing and clawing, only to be brought up short by a series of Tsuchi Bunshin.

"So, you are the one…" hissed Orochimaru as he performed hand seals, each fingertip on his right hand covered with violet flames. "Gogyo Fuuin!" he cried as he slammed his hand into Naruto's belly. The Five-Elements Seal overlaid the existing seals, and Naruto slumped into unconsciousness.

Sasuke launched back into the fray, only to be pinned and bitten by the man. As Sasuke's world faded to black, he heard Orochimaru's voice. "He seeks power, more than this place could ever give him. Rest assured, he'll seek me out…"


	6. Chapter 6

Sakura squeezed the water out of the rag she held and laid it on Sasuke's forehead. He and Naruto were still out cold, and Sasuke was running a colossal fever. On his neck where Orochimaru had bitten him were a trio of comma-shaped marks. The gale that Orochimaru had created to scatter them had blown away her pack, and she had only a kunai for arms. She swiftly searched her comrades' packs and found little, a handful of shuriken and some wire from Sasuke's gear, and Naruto's supply scroll. She pulled Naruto's tomahawks and Bowie knife over to her, and slid them into her belt before setting up what little traps she could and settling in to wait…

Naruto awoke to the feeling of a sharp tug from his belt, the sound of five rapid pops of gunfire, a sharp curse, and the sensation of someone landing on top of him. He shot upright to find Sakura, bloody and battered, still clutching his Schofield, lying atop his lap. There before them stood a trio of ninja, the same trio of Sound Genin from the First Exam. One of them, a black-haired girl, clutched her shoulder where Sakura had shot her.

"What's going on, Sakura?"

"Naruto, they're not after our scroll! They're after Sasuke! They work for Orochimaru!" The trio of Sound-nin rushed forward to attack, and Naruto rose to meet them, catching his knife and tomahawks as Sakura tossed them to him. He held the Bowie in his teeth, a tomahawk in either hand, and launched himself at the Sound-nin. The trio met him with kunai drawn, and the battle began in earnest. Naruto blocked and parried with his 'hawks and the Bowie in his teeth, dodging and contorting his body as he swung blow and counter-blow toward them.

But Naruto was scared. He couldn't feel the Kyuubi, couldn't hear it in his head. His chakra control was shot. He was slower, his injuries not healing as fast as he was used to. He finally locked blades and shoved his three assailants away, launching the female into the brush. He jumped back to land next to Sakura. "Sakura, I need your help. Whatever that Snake-Bastard did to me ruined my chakra control. I need you to take this scroll. Unseal the last weapon in the list, and a box of .45 Schofield ammunition." He unbuckled his gunbelt and passed it to Sakura. "The Peacemaker's loaded." When Sakura unsealed the weapon, the smoke cleared to reveal a pair of Navy Colt cap-and-ball revolvers, their grips of worn and yellowed ivory. Naruto took them, spun them, and slid them butts-forward into his waistband, speaking low to himself. "James, I hope you're watchin'. 'Cause this is for you, pard."

The two male Sound ninja stared before bolting toward Naruto. The Shootist's hands moved almost of their own accord, dropping and twisting to grab the grips of the revolvers. In one fluid motion, the pistols came up and turned to bear on the advancing ninja. The pistol in Naruto's left hand barked one time, and the black-haired boy faltered in his rush, un-hit, but kept advancing. The right-hand pistol cracked, and the bandage-covered Sound Genin dropped holding his knee. Naruto brought both revolvers around on the black-haired one and fired again, this time striking the boy low in the belly. He stumbled and fell, rolling to a stop against a tree.

The black-haired boy was still defiant, despite being gut-shot. "Nice weapons. What do you call'em? I'll look good carrying them once I take them off your corpse."

"Sakura. You look horrible. Who did this to you?" croaked a hoarse voice. All faces turned to see Sasuke standing, the trio of comma-shaped marks from Orochimaru's bite had seemingly spread across all of Sasuke's body, and malevolent purple chakra was rolling off of him in visible waves.

The black-haired boy grinned maniacally. "That was all me, Uchiha. She's not that bad-looking, you know? I bet I'll have lots of fun with her after we kill you." Sasuke growled, and the boy brought up his hands, which had tubes running from a hole in either palm down the length of his arms. "Zankuuha!!" His attack launched a blast of air pressure that tore a huge gash in the ground as it came and enveloped Sasuke. The dust settled to reveal nothing. He was gone.

"You're pretty proud of those arms, aren't you, Sound-nin?" Sasuke snarled from right behind the boy before hurling a vicious kick to his head and sending him to the ground. Sasuke stepped one leg onto the boy's back, and grabbed the boy's wrists, torqeing his arms back to their range. "Let's see how you take losing them." Sasuke began to pull. The Sound boy's screams mixed with the snaps of his arms breaking at the shoulders.

"Sasuke, stop! Please, stop!" cried Sakura as she watched Sasuke torment the Sound boy. Sasuke's face was twisted in a sneer of bloodthirsty glee, as if he were intensely enjoying the pain he was inflicting. She dropped the pistols in her hands and wrapped her arms around the Uchiha, begging him to stop. The marks receded, and he released the boy's arms. He stepped back, keeping his eye on the boy.

Completely forgotten in all of the confusion was the female Sound Genin, who had been thrown into the forest by Naruto. She stalked toward Naruto like a hunting cat, a drawn kunai in her hand. She was five feet from Naruto when she was brought up short by the sound of something clicking. She stood suddenly and wheeled to stare into the eyes of Ikegata Tenten, and the business end of her Peacemaker. Tenten's team had split in separate directions to confuse enemies. They already had their second scroll, and would meet at the base of the tower. Tenten now addressed the Sound girl. "That's my boyfriend you were about to attack. Don't bother trying to attack me, I'll just kill you before you can move. I guess you already know what this can do, though. Now back up slowly, into the clearing. They cleared the tree-line and Tenten whistled to Naruto to get his attention. "Found her trying to ambush you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto turned to face Tenten and the Sound-nin. "Hi, Tenten-chan. Thanks." He rounded on the female Sound Genin. "What's your name?"

"Kin. The mummy is Dosu, and the psycho's Zaku."

"Kin, take your team and leave. Leave your scroll here, and go away. This is already an ugly situation; let's not make it any uglier," said Sakura.

Kin's response was a withering glare. "You're one to talk, Pinkette. You care more about looking pretty than you do about being a ninja. You disgust me. The only person here who looks like she gives a damn about being a kunoichi is the bun-girl who got the drop on me. And even she looks like she'd faint at the sight of death. So, I say, sit and spin." And with that, she launched off the mark, toward Tenten, a fresh Kunai in hand and ready to strike. Tenten brought up her revolver. The report of the Colt was sharp in the strangely-silent clearing, and Kin slid limply to the ground, shot through the heart. She was dead before she hit the dirt.

Naruto lowered his arm, the muzzle of his Navy Colt still smoking. He'd reacted out of instinct when Kin had made to attack Tenten; he didn't remember drawing or firing. His girl stood there, her pistol still up and ready to fire. She was scared, it showed on her face. Naruto holstered the pistol in the waistband of his trousers and moved to wrap Tenten in a hug as she began to faint. "It's alright, Ten-chan. Everything will be okay. I'm here, I won't let anything hurt you, I promise." He sent Tenten and Sakura over to Sasuke and Sakura, and sent the girls out of the clearing as he motioned his teammate over. "Sasuke, you alright?"

"Yeah. I'm good."

Naruto looked at the two remaining Sound Genin. Zaku was moaning on the ground. Dosu leaned heavily upon a tree, some of his face bandages wrapped around his knee. "So, Sasuke, what do we do about the other two? I mean, I really don't feel like killing them. But on the other hand, they did do a number on Sakura, admit to being under orders from the Snake-Bastard to kill you, and the one whose arms you wrecked was starting to get on my nerves until you came to and went to town on him. What say you?"

Sasuke looked at the Sound ninja. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Dobe, but I'll follow whatever you decide."

Naruto took a pair of coins out of his pocket and tossed one to Sasuke. "We both toss. If my coin is heads, we kill them and loot the bodies for supplies. Tails, and we take their gear and let them go."

"And my coin?" asked Sasuke.

"If we kill them, your coin decides whether or not we cut up the bodies as a warning to the Snake-Bastard." Naruto looked at Sasuke with cold, emotionless eyes. Killer's eyes. "Flip, Sasuke."

"Heads, we mutilate them; Tails we bury them." Sasuke flipped the coin into the air and caught it. "Tails. We bury them. Now you flip, Naruto, and see if we have to kill them."

Naruto flipped. "Tails. They go free, minus their gear." He turned to the two Sound-nin. "Take all your weapons except one kunai each to defend yourselves with, and dump them in front of you. Do the same with your food. You get to keep one ration each. You also get to keep your medical kits." They complied wordlessly, though Zaku sneered at both Konoha ninja as he did. Sasuke stepped forward and searched each of them, then gathered the dropped equipment and looted Kin's body. He also relieved Dosu of his team's Earth Scroll.

Naruto looked at the Sound Team and gestured toward the forest. "The fence is that way. Take your teammate and keep walking. He watched as the two wounded ninja picked up the body of their teammate, and limped away into the forest. Naruto and Sasuke divided the spoils into three piles, went and retrieved the girls, and they moved to another clearing, near the river, to rest.

* * *

"So, Tenten-chan, where's your team? Don't tell me Lee and Neji are-" Naruto started to say, but was cut off.

"No, they're fine. We decided that we'd split up, so as to confuse any pursuers and make it harder for them."

"Well, harder it may be for enemies to catch you, but if they do catch you it'll be a harder fight for you. If you'd like, you can come with us to the tower."

"I'd be delighted, Naruto-kun. By the way, what happened to the other Sound Genin? You didn't, did you?"

Naruto shook his head and looked around the clearing. Sasuke was sitting watch up in a tree, and Sakura was tending to her wounds by the edge of the river. Naruto gave the clearing one more once-over and turned back to the pot of stew he and Tenten were cooking. "No, I didn't kill them. I took their gear to replace ours that we lost, and sent them toward the fence with one ration each, and one kunai each, and their third teammate." He looked up from the stew and hugged Tenten close for a moment before grinning and ladling out three bowls and handing her one. He bounced off with the other two, to give them to Sasuke and Sakura. He came back and ladled out a bowl for himself. He dug in, and washed it down with a cup of coffee from the pot.

"I'll take first watch." The others bedded down, and Naruto sat down in the tree where Sasuke had been, his Henry across his lap. He looked up at the moon, and settled in.

Dawn came and Naruto awoke. He'd been relieved by Tenten around midnight, and she'd watched until dawn. He heated up the remains of the coffee and called the others in. They settled on a plan to try and reach the tower by that afternoon. Naruto cooked a hearty breakfast of wild-boar bacon and scrambled eggs, cornbread pancakes and leftover stew for gravy. After the dishes were washed and sealed back into the storage scroll, they set out.

Their progress was fast, and they reached the tower just before noon. By the door stood Neji and Lee. Tenten bid Naruto good luck and kissed him before going to join her team. Team Seven entered the tower…

* * *

"So, if any of you wish to forfeit, you may, without any consequences for your team. From here on out, the Chunin Exams are individual-effort," said Anko as she addressed the group of Genin standing before her in the arena. She'd just explained before that since so many teams still managed to pass the Second Exam, they had too many people for the Third Exam, and had to hold Preliminaries to thin the group out.

The only one to forfeit was Yakushi Kabuto, the boy who'd shown the Ninja Info-cards to Sasuke before the First Exam. The rest stood firm. "Then let me introduce," said Anko, "the referee for the Prelims, Tokubetsu Jounin Shiranui Genma." In a swirl of smoke appeared a Konoha ninja with a senbon sticking out of his mouth like a toothpick.

"The rules are simple. One-on-one fights. Victor is decided when one of you can't continue, either due to death, injury, or knockout, or by forfeit. If a clear winner is determined before knockout or kill, then I'll call the match. Match-ups are random draw. First match is…" He looked up to the electronic scoreboard above them, to see two names appear. "Inuzuka Kiba versus Uzumaki Naruto!"

As the other Genin filed out of the arena, Naruto calmly checked the loads on his pistols. His opponent, Kiba, stood eagerly across the field from him, bobbing and weaving like a boxer warming up. "Hey, Uzumaki! We all know you're good with your weapons, but just how good are you without them?! Eh?! I'll beat you down in a heartbeat in a real fight!"

Naruto bristled. "Okay, Inu-baka, you want a stand-up match, be my guest. Blades and taijutsu only?" He removed his longarm cases and unbuckled his gunbelt. "Sakura, catch!" Naruto threw his guns up to his teammate and pulled his tomahawks out of his other belt.

"Akamaru, stay out of the way for this fight. He's too easy to beat, and you deserve a rest." Kiba cracked his knuckles and settled into a taijustu stance.

"Ready, Fight!" yelled Genma as he jumped out of the way.

The two Genin crashed together, Naruto swinging in with his 'hawks and Kiba launching a roundhouse right punch. Both dodged and leapt apart. Kiba threw a handful of kunai, and Naruto ducked the flying blades. Naruto whipped one tomahawk through the air, and Kiba dodged only just in time to catch Naruto's left leg across the temple. Kiba rolled and came back to his feet. He launched into his family's signature jutsu, the All-Fours technique, and rocketed into his opponent with a massive shoulder check that hurled Naruto across the arena. "See, I told you that you weren't any good without your guns. And you said you'd become Hokage one day? Ha! They'd do better letting me take the position!"

Naruto stood, cracked his neck and glared at Kiba. "You crossed the wrong line, Mutt. Now you'd best get ready to cry, 'cause I'm bringin' the pain." Naruto drew his Bowie and erupted off his mark, leaping into the fray with a roar and bringing the blade around, then a knee strike to Kiba's exposed groin as he leaned back to avoid the knife. Kiba blocked the knee and brought an elbow to Naruto's head, and Naruto slipped the blow like a boxer, head butted Kiba in the chest, and then brought his head up into Kiba's chin in a vicious Liverpool Kiss. Kiba threw a second elbow, and mashed Naruto's lips against his teeth, then a knee into Naruto's belly. Naruto recovered, stomped down hard on Kiba's instep, and let fly a blistering one-two combo with his fists to Kiba's kidneys. Kiba responded with a combination of his own, two jabs to Naruto's chest and a right cross to his jaw, then a hard left that busted Naruto's nose. Both fighters knew this was no time for fancy tricks, no time for strategy. It was an old-fashioned blood-slinging brawl, root-hog or die. They continued to slug, Naruto's blades dropped and forgotten until they broke apart one last time and Naruto picked them up, panting and bloodied.

Naruto was tired, and he could tell Kiba was as well. The two staggered apart, and Naruto, huffing and puffing, spoke again.

"One last go-round, Kiba. For all the marbles, winner-take-all. Agreed?"

"Fine."

The pair came together, Kiba launching one last All-Fours, which Naruto sidestepped. Naruto turned, cracked Kiba across the skull with the back of his tomahawk head, and then yanked him up off the ground by the hair and laid the blade of his Bowie just above Kiba's eyebrows. "Where my first sensei came from, Kiba-san, there was a practice that the natives used to perform on enemies they respected. It's called scalping. How it works is you take a knife and cut all the way around the top of their head, then pull off their scalp. You fought hard, Kiba-san."

The Inuzuka looked frightened for a moment, then smiled. "Well, if the positions were reversed, Naruto-san, I'd lift your hair, too."

Genma stepped forward and raised his hand. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!" Naruto sheathed his knife.

"You know, Kiba, you just wouldn't look right bald, so I think I'll leave your scalp on your head." Naruto picked Kiba up and steadied him with an arm around his shoulder, and they staggered together, two bloody and battered brothers-in-arms, laughing all the way, off the field.


	7. Chapter 7

After Naruto and Kiba made it back up to the stands, they were simultaneously accosted by their female teammates. Sakura took Naruto in hand to try and patch him up while Kiba was led away by Hyuuga Hinata. "Naruto, you look like you just went through a grinder!" Sakura fussed over him for fifteen minutes while she cleaned the cuts on him, and bandaged him. "There's nothing I can do for the nose, though, except straighten it back out and hope it heals right."

"You don't have time. You're up." Naruto pointed to the screen. Sasuke's match had just ended. He'd been paired against Akado Yoroi. Apparently he'd handled himself well, and won. The next match was Sakura versus her rival, Ino. "Go get'em." Sakura smiled, grabbed Naruto's nose and wrenched it back into place, then bounded down the stairs to the arena. Naruto screamed and went to hunt for Kiba.

Naruto found him in the care of Hinata, just as bandaged as he. "I'd have a word with you, Kiba, if you don't mind."

The dog boy smiled and asked Hinata to go grab some food from the vendors. "Don't tell me you rethought taking my hair, Naruto." He stood and walked over to the shooter, clapping him on the back. "What's on your mind, Naruto?"

"Just another native tradition. One of friendship. I wanted to ask you if you wanted to do it. Man needs friends, you know."

"How's it work?"

"It's called 'Blood Brothers'. We cut our palms and mix blood. After that, they say we'll be like brothers. If you ever need help, I'm honor-bound to help, and vice versa. What's mine is yours, and so on."

Kiba smiled. "I'll go with that." He pulled out a kunai and sliced his palm. Naruto did the same with his Bowie. The two smacked their hands together.

"Brothers," growled Naruto with a feral grin.

"Pack," snarled Kiba, his eyes wild.

Naruto looked out into the arena just in time to see Sakura and Ino belt each other, resulting in a double-knockout. Naruto looked over to Kiba, who was bandaging his hand. "Hey, Kiba, how's about after these fights are over, you bring your team to my place. I'll invite the rest of my team, and I'll cook us up a good meal."

"You can cook?"

"Been cookin' ever since I was little. And before you ask, no, that doesn't count instant ramen. Just ask my teammates or my girlfriend about my cooking."

"Girlfriend?" Naruto pointed over to Tenten and smiled. Kiba grinned. "She's a good one. I tell you what, Naruto, instead of me bringing my team to your apartment, how about you bring your guys to my house, and you bring some of your cooking over there."

"Sounds like a plan." Naruto leaned back and dozed off.

Naruto was awakened by Kiba. "Hey, Naruto, wanna watch your girl fight? It's her match."

"Who's she up against?"

"My teammate, Hinata." Naruto sat up and went to the rail. Hinata stood in a Jyuuken stance, while Tenten stood ready with a pair of wakizashi. They came together quickly, which was surprising to everyone. Hyuuga Hinata was known to be a meek, quiet girl, who would sooner faint than fight.

Tenten lost her swords in the scuffle, and pulled Hinata into a full-nelson. "Hinata, this is new. I didn't know you could fight this well."

"I'm fighting because I know someone I love is watching," said Hinata as they broke apart and then came together again, Tenten now armed with kunai.

"Oooh, who is he?" asked Tenten as they continued to fight.

The response she got was stunning. "Uzumaki Naruto." They stopped.

"You're in love with Naruto?" The nod she got confirmed it. "Well, I hate to break your heart, Hinata-chan, but Naruto already has a girl."

Hinata looked shocked. "Who?"

"Me."

Hinata rushed in again, and Tenten decided that she was through with playing. She reached behind her back, drew her Peacemaker from her waistband, and brought it up, cocked, to rest just beneath Hinata's jaw. She felt a faint buzz of chakra next to her head, and glanced over. Hinata's hand was next to Tenten's temple, ready to blast chakra into her skull.

"Stand-off," said Tenten. "Funny. Hey, Hinata. Betcha I know a secret you'd just love to hear. You know your teammate, Kiba? Well, he feels the same way about you, as you do about Naruto. He's head over heels for you, has been ever since you were both little."

"Kiba, loves me?" said Hinata as she stepped back, distracted. It was a mistake. Tenten strode forward a step and knocked her cold with the barrel of the pistol.

"Winner, Tenten!"

"Woo! Go, Ten-chan!" yelled Naruto from the stands. Tenten waved and ran up to the stands and into his arms.

As they were about to walk off, Tenten turned to Kiba and smiled. "Expect a talk from Hinata. I had to tell her about your feelings for her to win. Distracted her so I could get her." She and Naruto walked away, leaving a flabbergasted Inuzuka Kiba behind.

* * *

Naruto was in high spirits as he rounded up the rest of his and Tenten's teams. Lee was in the hospital, broken up from his fight with the Suna ninja, Sabaku no Gaara. Judging from the look of it, he wouldn't be crushing bricks for a long time. Neji just snorted and walked off to tend to his own affairs. The rest, Naruto invited over to supper at Kiba's house that evening. Then, Naruto took his leave of the group and went back to his apartment to start cooking.

That evening, everyone was gathered around the table at the Inuzuka home, waiting on the arrival of the last guest. There suddenly came a knocking at the door, and Kiba opened it to reveal a ten-deep line of Narutos, each carrying something different. One came in with a pole across his shoulders, a huge pot of stew hanging from either end. Three pairs supported three colossal covered platters. One carried a pair of massive baskets filled with biscuits and cornbread. And the last two were straining underneath the weight of a gargantuan cake shaped like the Konoha spiral-leaf symbol. They deposited the food on the table, where sat Kiba's team, Naruto's team, Tenten, Kiba's mom, and his older sister. The nine Shadow Clones then disappeared, leaving Naruto standing with a grin on his face. In actuality, Naruto was exhausted by the effort of creating that many clones. His chakra control was still out of whack.

"I've heard horror stories about the appetite of the Inuzuka Clan. So I cooked a lot of food." He leaned over, and uncovered the covered platters. On one was an entire roast boar, while on another lay a brace of deer, whole and gleaming with barbecue sauce. "And for the last, this ol' boy gave me a heck of a fight, but I finally got him. Voila!" Naruto whipped the cover off of the largest platter to reveal an entire roasted bear.

Everyone gaped at the spread, not just the delectable-looking food put out by Kiba's mom and sister, but also the food Naruto had brought. Kiba hauled Naruto over to where his mother and sister sat, and made introductions. "Naruto, this is my mom, Inuzuka Tsume, and my older sister, Inuzuka Hana. Mom, Sis, this is Naruto."

"So you're the one who put this pup through the wringer. He looked like he'd been mauled," spoke Hana.

"I didn't look too much better afterward, myself. He's a fighter, for sure," replied Naruto. "I'm pretty certain my nose is still a little out of joint from that one hit, despite what Sakura did for it."

Kiba laughed and raised his shirt to reveal bandages wrapped around his torso. "Cracked three ribs."

Naruto laughed and then turned to Tsume. "Inuzuka-san, you should be proud of Kiba here. You raised a good kid."

Tsume smiled and patted Naruto on the shoulder. "No need to be so proper, Naruto. Tsume's just fine. Now, let's see if any of this is fit to eat. I'm hungry."

Everyone grinned and laughed at that, and even more when Naruto remarked, "I second that, Tsume. I'm so hungry, my stomach thinks my throat's been cut." They dug into the food, swapping stories back and forth, joking and having a grand time. Naruto's cooking was a hit, with people passing plates for seconds and thirds of it. After the meats had been reduced to bones, and the last bit of stew mopped up with the last biscuit, the crowd retired to the spacious backyard to relax.

Tsume looked over at Naruto and asked him, "Naruto, when you had Kiba by the hair, what was it you were doing? Were you punch-drunk and missed holding the knife to his throat? You had it to his head."

"Ah, that. It's a long story. You know about how six years ago I left the village?" She nodded. "Well, my sensei was from a land far to the west of here, and he told me stories about life in his land. His people had colonized the place where he grew up, and the natives there had a practice they did with defeated enemies, but only the honorable ones, the ones who put up a good fight." He went on describe scalping, and Tsume nodded. "Did your sensei tell you anything else about these natives?"

"He did. In his land were different tribes, some friendly, and some not. He had mostly dealt with the Lakota and Cheyenne. They were both tribes of fierce warriors, proud and strong. The greatest warriors of the Cheyenne, the fiercest in battle, were called in their language 'Metaneo'o'. Dog Soldiers. Kiba's a Dog Soldier in the truest sense, and he fights like one. I'm happy to call him my Blood Brother."

Sakura heard and lifted an eyebrow. "Blood Brother?"

Naruto turned his hand up and showed the slash on his palm. "Another Cheyenne practice." Kiba showed his palm, with a matching mark.

"Yeah, Sakura. We cut our palms and grabbed hands. Our blood mixed, and cemented us as Blood Brothers." At that, every female in attendance rolled their eyes and thought the same thought. _"Men"._

Naruto picked up where Kiba left off. "Blood Brothers are as tight as real brothers. If Kiba, or any kin of his ever needs help, I'm honor-bound to lend a hand, and if I need it, he's honor-bound to do the same. The Cheyenne only did it with people they deeply respected. And with the way he chewed me up in that match, I have a great deal of respect for him."

The party picked up from there with music and dancing, until the hour grew late, and Tsume extended an invitation to stay the night. The teams piled into bed, and slept…

* * *

The next day, Naruto awoke early and bid a fair adieu to the Inuzuka estate. He went back to his apartment, belted on his gunbelt, thrust all his other revolvers into pockets and his waistband and slung his longarm cases across his back, and set off to find a place to train.

He found a spot near the hot springs and dug out some paper targets from his warbag, tacking them up on trees all around the clearing. He stood, surrounded by targets. Smoothly, Naruto drew his Schofield, bringing it level and cocking the hammer. Naruto feathered the trigger and the pistol barked, but Naruto didn't check where he hit. He swung the muzzle to the next target, and the next, until he'd fired all five rounds. He holstered the pistol and drew his Peacemaker, and fired from the hip, one round per target. When it ran dry he pulled the Paterson from his waistband and fired. He did the same with each pistol until he was down to just the Navy Colts, stuck as always butts-forward in his waistband. He twist-drew, just as James had always done, just as he had done, in the forest, and fired. Ten shots, one after the other, and ten targets hung with their eyes shot out. Naruto stuck the Navies back in his waistband and checked his watch. One minute and ten seconds. Sixty rounds in seventy seconds. _Won't be that fast in combat, with my targets tryin' to kill me, too._

Naruto was about to change the targets and practice with his Henry when he caught the faint sound of someone laughing, outside his clearing. He carefully thumbed back the hammer of his Henry and went to investigate. Hunkered down by the fence around the springs was an old man dressed like a kabuki actor, giggling and occasionally scribbling something in a notebook. Naruto cleared his throat and the man turned. Naruto eased the hammer down on the rifle and laid it across his shoulders. "You know, it's mighty rude to be peekin' on people in the springs."

"It's not peeking, brat. It's research."

"Research, huh? Well, that might be what you call it, but I bet there's other words for it. Like peeking. And I wonder what the ladies on the other side of that fence would say if they knew you were out here. Let's see." Naruto smiled evilly and yelled at the top of his voice. "HEY, GIRLS!! THANKS FOR THE SHOW!!!"

"**PERVERT!!!"**

"Happy trails, Ol' Man." And with that, Naruto hot-footed it away as fast as he could. He didn't want to get caught in that beating.

It was two hours later when the old man caught up with Naruto. The fox-boy was trying as best he could to practice chakra control by tree-walking, and failing miserably. His control was wrecked!

"You're not doing it right, brat." The peeping tom limped out of the brush, looking like he'd been trampled in a stampede.

"Well, I used to be able to do this easy, until I got lambasted by some weird technique during the Second Exam!"

The old man looked at him. "You wouldn't happen to be Uzumaki Naruto, would you?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, or Naruto Hickok, at your service. You?" Naruto was suspicious. Just who was this old pervert, anyway?

The old man started to go into some weird dance, until he was brought up short by the sound of the Henry's lever working. "I asked your name, not if you could do a rain dance."

"Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin. Also, author of the world-renowned novel series _Icha-Icha Paradise, _and former Jounin-sensei of the Yondaime Hokage." Jiraiya had seen that weapon before, in the hands of another man, a man who had been called 'Shootist'. "Where'd you come by that weapon?"

"Inherited it from my first sensei. His name was James Hickok. He gave me his title, too. I'm the Shootist."

"I met him once, years back. Good man. Oh, and I could fix your chakra if you want. It's the least I could do for James's old student. He saved me from a fate worse than death once."

"Dragged you out of a brothel before the ladies found out you were broke?"

"No, as a matter of fact. He rescued me after I'd been poisoned by a specially-formed team of Iwa-nin, all of them female, all of them trained in torture, and all of them carrying grudges against me for my part in the last war."

"So he dragged you out of a brothel before the ladies found out you were broke?"

"Shut up and lift your shirt. I need to see your torso." Naruto lifted his shirt. "Now try and channel a little chakra." Naruto complied, and his seal became visible. "Ah, there's the problem. This might sting a little." Jiraiya channeled chakra into his hand, and cried, "Gogyo Fuin Kai!" before slamming it into the marks of Orochimaru's seal. Naruto passed out.

Naruto awoke propped against a tree. "Wha'happened?" he slurred as he came awake. Jiraiya was sitting nearby, writing in his notebook.

"_**The Snake put a seal over mine. It screwed up your control and cut me off. The old pervert broke the seal."**_

"_Glad to hear from you again, Kyuubi."_

"Hey, Ero-Sennin! Thanks!" Naruto stood and brushed the dirt off of himself, then picked up his guns and made ready to go. "I gotta split; got training to do, and only a month to do it in."

* * *

Naruto wiped the sweat from his face with his bandanna and looked at his watch. Three days had passed since he'd met the old man by the springs, and Naruto had been hard at work. Each day was a new challenge. Naruto now decided to take a break and see to other business. He went back to his apartment and cleaned up, then made his way to the Hokage's tower.

"Ji-San! How've you been?" Naruto beamed when he entered the office.

"Naruto, it's good to see you in such good spirits," replied the Hokage as he looked up from his paperwork. "How have you been?"

"I've been doing well," the boy said as he plopped himself into a chair. "But I was wondering if I could ask you a couple questions."

"Go ahead, Naruto, and I'll try to help you if I can."

"Two things, Ji-San. First, are there any tracts of land for sale, preferably forest or some sort of rough country? I don't need much, only five acres or so."

"I'll see what I can find, Naruto." The Hokage understood why Naruto would want to find his own land; his apartment was in constant danger of burglary and vandalism, and hadn't been properly repaired or maintained by anyone other than Naruto in many a year. "What was the other question?"

Naruto's face grew grim and his eyes grew cold and angry. "I'd like to know as much as possible about the man who killed James. As much as I have access to, or a name at least."

The Hokage frowned. He'd heard about Naruto's vow to kill the man who'd killed James, and had hoped that the boy would abandon that quest. "Naruto, are you sure you want revenge? The man you're after, he's got more people's blood on his hands than just James's."

"So you know who he is?"

"Naruto, the man you seek is a nuke-nin from here. He killed his entire clan, save one."

Naruto looked confused for a moment, as if mulling over the Hokage's words. Then he looked up, and looked the Hokage squarely in the eye. "Hokage-sama, I'll tell you now, my revenge won't interfere with my job, but I won't rest either, not until I ride back through these gates with that Uchiha's scalp hanging from my belt. I just want to know, what's his name?"

"Itachi. Uchiha Itachi."

"Thank you for the information, Ji-San. I've got things to do now, so bye!" Naruto beamed and bounded out of the office, headed for Ichiraku's.

* * *

Naruto was sitting at Ichiraku's about to tie into his second bowl when Sasuke sat down next to him. "Naruto, we need to talk."

" 'Bout what, Sasuke?"

"A certain mutual enemy of ours."

"Oh, you mean your brother? I already told the Hokage this morning, I'm not gonna let that trail swallow me, but I ain't restin' until I cut up his corpse for the vultures and bring his scalp back for evidence."

By an unspoken agreement, they left the stand and walked toward a deserted training ground. "He killed my _family_, Naruto. I've got a right to vengeance. I think I've got more of a right than you."

Naruto just smiled. "I tell you what, Sasuke, how about we make a deal? We both want Itachi's life, and both of us have a legitimate right to it. He killed your family, true, but he also killed mine. The first six years of my life, I was beaten and mistreated, damn near starved, damn near stabbed, and lived in terror the whole time. I was on my own from the time I drew my first breath. James treated me like I was his own son, raised me up to be a proper man, and showed me the love I'd missed for those six years. He was family to me, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked thoughtful, which Naruto figured was as close to sympathy as he'd get from the Uchiha. "What's your proposition, Naruto?"

"We work together. We're ridin' the same trail, so why not ride it together? And besides, two sets of eyes and ears should pick up twice the word and twice the sign. We'll figure out who gets to kill him once we find him." Naruto stuck out his hand to shake, and Sasuke hesitantly took it and shook.

"Deal. But if you get in my way when the time comes, Naruto, I'll kill you too."

"Same to you, Sasuke. You get between me and him when I draw down on him, I'll see if my Sharps really can punch through one man to kill another."

The two departed, and Naruto went to try and find Tenten…

Tenten was hard at work, not in training, but in working on a special present for Naruto. It was coming up on their one-month anniversary, and she wanted to give him something that would blow him away. She had carefully completed the hardest part of the project, making each part by hand, and now all that was left was the assembly. It had taken some research, and few trips to the library to learn all she needed to know to create her gift, but it was worth it in her eyes. She finished the last piece just as Naruto knocked on the door to the shop. She hastily slid the case under the workbench and went to the door.

"Naruto! Come in, come in!" She fairly dragged him into the shop. "Naruto, guess what tomorrow is."

"Um, Tuesday?"

"What else?"

"Well, if my figuring's right, it'll be one month tomorrow since we first got together. Do you have plans? I was hopin' we could go for a ride up in the hills and picnic, to celebrate."

Tenten smiled, and wrapped him up in a hug. "No, I don't have plans tomorrow. Meet at Ichiraku's?"

Naruto fairly glowed when he nodded and kissed her, before darting off with a shouted, "See you later, Ten-chan!"

Naruto went back to his apartment, and dug until he found the gift he'd made for Tenten. Naruto looked it over, and decided that it was a little on the plain side, so he pulled out his gear, and began to work…

The next day, the two met at Ichiraku's just at noon. "Afternoon, Ten-chan. Ready for our picnic?" He indicated the basket sitting on the counter next to him.

"Ready and willing, Naru-Kun."

Naruto stepped out of the ramen stall and into the street. He nipped his thumb and performed Kuchiyose no Jutsu; out of the smoke appeared a familiar black stallion.

"Naruto! Good to see you!" bellowed Widowmaker. "You feel like testing your skills again?"

"Not right now, Widowmaker. I'd like to introduce you to Ikegata Tenten, my girlfriend. It's our one-month anniversary, and we were planning on a picnic up in the hills. I know this one spot, really pretty, but it's a rough trail, and I was wonderin' if you'd mind us riding."

"I don't mind at all, Kid. Mount up!" Naruto swung astride the horse and helped Tenten up with the picnic basket. Widowmaker set off at an easy canter, and they made their way into the forest and the mountains.

They arrived an hour later, and dismounted at the edge of a clearing. All over the clearing grew wildflowers, in many a color. Naruto reached into the basket and pulled out a blanket, and spread it beneath the wide limbs of an oak. "I found this clearing when I was three. The trail is so rough that hardly anybody comes up here, so it was a good place to go when I needed to get away." Tenten smiled, but didn't miss the double meaning in Naruto's joking words. Naruto began pulling out food and laying it out. There were cold cuts and bread, an apple pie, and of course a large to-go pot of ramen from Ichiraku's. They sat down and began to eat, laughing and having fun all the while. Naruto finally reached into the basket, popped a false bottom out of it, and pulled out a paper-wrapped package tied with a rawhide thong.

"I figured you were probably a little tired of always carrying your Peacemaker in the waistband of your pants, so I set out to fix that. Hope you like it." He handed her the package and she untied the thong, unwrapped the paper and revealed a brown leather gun belt and holster, tooled with simple roses and ivy leaves and ending in a brass buckle engraved with the Konoha leaf. Tenten stared speechless at it as Naruto went on. "Um, there's cartridge loops so you can hold extra rounds, and the holster's got some hidden snaps so you can adjust where it rides, or take the holster off entirely if you want. I know it's not that well-made, but I hope you like it."

Tenten found her voice as she buckled the belt onto her waist. She looked up smiling. "It's beautiful, Naru-chan. Thank you; I love that you made it yourself. I got a gift for you, too." She reached into her bag and pulled out a scroll. She unsealed a simple wood box. Naruto opened the box and his jaw dropped.

It was a pair of pistols. A matched pair of flintlock pistols. Walnut stocks, blued-steel barrels, exactly alike. In the center of each checkered grip was carved a fox with a kanji on its back. The kanji were different, but that was the only difference between the guns. Naruto took each pistol out and looked at the grips, reading them aloud.

" 'Inazuma', and 'Kaminari'. 'Thunder' and 'Lightning'?"

"Appropriate, isn't it? It was a pain doing the research to make them, but I think I did okay. They're .50-caliber, so the bullet mold for your Sharps should be good to make ammo for these."

"You made these yourself?"

"Every part, right down to the stocks. How'd I do?"

"They're beautiful. Simple, yet elegant. Just like you, Ten-chan." Tenten smiled and kissed him.

Naruto grinned big and reached into his ever-present possible bag for powder and ball. "What do you say we give Thunder and Lightning a test-fire?" He poured a measure of powder down each muzzle and then pulled out some bullets he'd meant to load into cartridges for his Sharps. He started each, then rammed them home with the ramrod. He primed the flash pan and handed Lightning butt-first to Tenten.

"What's the target?" Tenten asked. Naruto pointed to a knot on a tree across the clearing from them. It was at least twenty-five yards distant, pushing accuracy for most black-powder pistols. Tenten took careful aim and fired. Lightning belched flame and smoke. When it cleared, she let out a whoop at the sight of the knot blasted to splinters.

Naruto raised Thunder and sighted in on the same tree. "I'll try for that limb right above your knot." He fired, and the branch snapped off inches from the trunk. "These are some of the best pistols I've ever toted! Tenten, you're an artist!" He picked her up and swung her around him before putting her down and kissing her. "Thank you, Tenten-chan. Thank you."

The two spent the rest of day in the clearing shooting, and throwing knives and tomahawks, and having fun together, until finally the sun set over the mountains and Naruto summoned Widowmaker to ride back. Tenten leaned back against his chest as they rode, and soon fell asleep to the gentle rocking of the horse and the sound of Naruto's heartbeat in her ear.

Naruto rode up to Tenten's house, took her in his arms, and carried her inside. He looked around, went into the living room he saw off to one side, and laid her gently on the couch, her pistol belt and holstered Colt close to hand, and kissed her on the forehead. "Sleep tight, Ten-chan."

"She's really something, isn't she?" Naruto bolted upright and wheeled. Tenten's father stepped out of the shadows where he'd been watching. "Let's step into the kitchen, Uzumaki-san."

Naruto followed Mr. Ikegata into the kitchen, and waited for the man to speak again.

Ikegata Tenji turned and leaned on the countertop and looked Naruto over. "Uzumaki-san, you have been my daughter's boyfriend for how long now?"

"One month today, Ikegata-san. Tenten-chan and I went up to the hills for a picnic to celebrate. I swear nothing happened." Naruto started to sweat a little. He didn't know what Tenten's dad was on about, but it had him on edge.

"I didn't think anything happened, Uzumaki; Tenten describes you as a perfect gentleman. I just wanted to get a feel of what your intentions were regarding my daughter, for myself." Tenji laughed.

Naruto gulped. "My intentions? I couldn't tell you, to be honest, but I know this much. All I want is for Ten-chan to be happy."

"Good answer, Uzumaki-san. Because if you ever hurt her, then I'm not the one you'll have to worry about. Now head on home. Oh, and stop by sometime; don't be a stranger." Tenji smiled warmly and patted Naruto on the back.

Naruto headed out the door of Tenten's house and made his way back to his apartment. There he found his apartment door unlocked, his rooms ransacked and torn apart, and graffiti sprayed all over the walls. Naruto closed his door, shoved a chair under the knob to hold it closed, and started picking up his things. Most of his clothes were so badly cut apart that they he wrote them off. His food was scattered and looked as if it had been chewed by animals. He tossed that as well. He finally got everything he could keep sealed into a pair of storage scrolls, and tossed the rest into the dumpster outside. He headed for the landlord's office, set in his purpose.

The landlord was surprised when the Demon Brat walked into his office, and not in a pleasant way. "What are _you_ doing in here, Dem-ugh!" His voice was cut off by a sharp blow to the chest, and he found himself with a knife to his throat.

"I'm here to tell you I'm moving out, but not before I settle up accounts with you. Let's see…" Naruto rubbed his chin with his free hand before continuing. "You've been overcharging me for rent ever since I started living here, so we'll call it six hundred Ryou. You 'forgot' to keep up the maintenance on my apartment, forcing me to do it myself or pay out of pocket to get things fixed. Another six hundred. I'll forget all the other times that people got into my apartment without having to break in, and just settle up for tonight. I lost food, I lost clothes, I lost furniture, and I'm taking the cost of them. Eight hundred Ryou." Naruto held his blade to the man's throat, while a Kage Bunshin took the landlord's wallet out of his pocket, counted out two thousand Ryou, and slid the bills into Naruto's pocket. The boy then darted backwards out of the room and vanished into the night.

* * *

Naruto woke up the next day and stretched. He'd spent the night in the park, and trees tended to be hard on his back. He walked down to the stream nearby, pulled out a mirror from his shaving kit, and shaved before straightening his clothes and walking into the business district. He needed new clothes. Four hours later, he was the owner of several new sets of clothing, and was merrily on his way to the Hokage's office.

Naruto walked into the office just as the landlord finished his tale of how the incorrigible Demon Brat had trashed an apartment, barged into his office, and robbed him at knife-point, violently assaulting him in the process.

"Quit lying, you gassy windbag, before I decide to help let some of that hot air out of you," Naruto snarled as the man wheeled in surprise.

The Hokage looked at Naruto and spoke. "Naruto, could you explain what happened last night, from your point of view?"

"Gladly, Hokage-sama. I came back from a date with my girlfriend to find my door unlocked and standing wide open. I always lock my door when I leave the apartment. The lock wasn't forced, it was unlocked with a key. My rooms were tossed, my spare clothes cut to doll-rags; my food scattered all over, half-eaten; and graffiti painted on the walls. A great deal of my things were beyond repair; I just got back from buying new clothes. Thankfully, I didn't have anything anyone else considered valuable, or I'd have probably been robbed, too."

"Then what happened, Naruto?" asked the Hokage.

"I picked up my stuff; I sealed everything that was still usable into some scrolls and threw the rest in the dumpster. Then I went and settled up with the landlord here. I figured he owed me for overcharging me on the rent, not maintaining my apartment, and always letting people into my room to wreak havoc. So I convinced him, with the help of my Bowie, to hold still, and I took two thousand Ryou from him. The punch was because he was about to say a certain word I don't like. I moved out." Naruto snarled at the landlord again before turning a sheepish look to the Hokage. "Coincidentally, Ji-san, you wouldn't happen to have had any luck with that favor I asked you, would you?"

The Hokage glared at the landlord and silently signaled the ANBU hidden in the corner to arrest him when he walked out of the office. "You are dismissed, sir. And so is your case against Naruto." The man walked out and into the waiting arms of the ANBU. The old man turned back to Naruto. "As a matter of fact, Naruto, I know of a tract up for sale. Fifteen acres of forest land halfway up the mountain. Nobody wants it because the trail is nearly impassible."

Naruto reached into his pack, and unsealed a check that had been sent to him from the office of the Mizukage. It had arrived three days prior, the bounty for Momochi Zabuza. "Will this cover it?" He handed the check over.

"This will be more than enough. Do you want me to use the rest to hire-" He was cut off by Naruto.

"No, thank you, Ji-san. I'll do my own building up there."

The Hokage was surprised. "If you say so, Naruto-kun." The Hokage pulled a sheet of paper out of his desk drawer and slid it over to Naruto. "Just sign on the dotted line." Naruto swiftly scribbled his name in, and the Hokage stamped it. He smiled. "Congratulations, Naruto, you now own fifteen acres of land, free and clear." The Hokage counted out Naruto's change and handed it to him. "I do hope you won't mind my visiting every now and then."

"You're welcome to warm your feet at my fire any time, Ji-san," Naruto replied as he pocketed the money and folded the deed up before putting it into his pocket. The two spent the next half-hour sitting and chatting before Naruto finally excused himself and left the office.

"Hey, Kiba, can I have a quick word with you?" Naruto asked after stopping at the Inuzuka estate on his way to Ichiraku's.

The Inuzuka grinned and Akamaru barked. "Sure, Naruto. What's up?"

Naruto pulled out the deed from his pocket. "I was wondering if you wanted to take a look at my new property with me."

Kiba looked at the deed and laughed. "Sure, Naruto. Let me go get a map so we can see how to get there." He darted down the hall and into his study, coming out with a map. "Let's go."

Naruto grabbed Kiba by the shoulder and stopped him. "First, a stop-off for lunch at Ichiraku's. My treat."

After the boys and Akamaru ate, they set out toward the mountains, to find Naruto's property. They soon found it, and the trail really was nigh impossible to navigate. Naruto vowed to fix that the first chance he got, especially after the second time his tree-walking skills were the only thing that kept him from going over a cliff when the trail got slippery. He didn't intend to make it easy to get to his house, but he would make it less life-threatening. They soon emerged onto a flat shelf halfway up the side of the mountain, thickly-forested with pine and cedar. Both boys stood speechless as they looked out over the village. The view was awe-inspiring.

Kiba soon found his voice. He looked at the map, and then tapped Naruto on the shoulder, breaking the blonde out of his shock. "According to the map, Naruto, your property includes this flat section, and runs down all the way to the head of the trail, down at the base of the mountain. This flat spot looks about five or six acres. You need any contractors' numbers? I could ask Mom or Hana."

"No thanks, Kiba. I bought this land myself, cash-money, and I'm gonna build it up myself, too." Naruto unsealed a tent from his gear and set it up. "If you want, you could lend a hand. The more, the merrier." Naruto smiled, a tear starting to form in his eye. "I just can't believe it, Kiba. This is my land, _mine_. My new home."

"I know what you mean, Naruto. Come on, let's head back to town so we can round up a few more hands and some tools." He took Naruto by the shoulder and they started back down the mountain while Akamaru stayed to guard Naruto's tent.

When the pair reached town, they stopped first at the Haruno residence, and Naruto yelled up to Sakura. "Hey, Sakura! I need to talk with you! It's important!"

Sakura came out, her hair a mess. She'd been asleep when Naruto yelled. "What is it, Naruto?"

"Guess what, Sakura? I have new home! Or, at least, I have fifteen acres of land up on the mountain, but Kiba and I are gonna build a home there. And we were wondering if you'd want to lend a hand?"

Sakura smiled a little. "You're serious? I'll give it a shot, but I think you're crazy, Naruto. What do you know about building houses?" She was wrapped up in a hug as a reply. Naruto hadn't even listened to her!

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," said Kiba as he watched Naruto race off toward the next house. "We'll meet at the base of the mountain in a few hours. It shouldn't take us that long to get the rest of the gang and some tools." He then left to catch up with Naruto, leaving Sakura standing in her front yard, staring at the two retreating backs.

The next several houses went much the same way. In a short time, the entirety of Teams Seven and Eight, plus Tenten, were assembled at the foot of the mountain waiting on Kiba and Naruto. The two trotted up, grinning ear-to-ear, loaded down with tools. "Let's go, guys!" shouted Naruto as he waved a pickaxe like a saber and charged up the trail. The rest followed him. They made it up the mountain to the flat shelf and sat down to rest. It had been tricky going and had tired them a little. Naruto dropped his pick and walked over to a spot, then started scratching lines in the dirt, until he'd marked off a rectangle of fifteen feet by twelve feet. "Here's where it'll go. My house."

The others watched as Naruto walked over to the pile of tools and selected an axe. "Sakura, you asked me what I know about building houses? I don't know that much about fancy carpentry, but I learned enough about fixing things in a house while I lived in the apartment, to where I think I'll manage. I also learned a little about building from James. My house is going to be a cabin. But the first thing is to sink the corner posts. Somebody grab that saw over on the pile." Naruto selected four similarly-sized trees and marked them with a slash in the bark. Kiba and Tenten picked up the short two-man saw from Naruto's pile and followed. "The slashed trees are the posts. I need them down, and we'll cut them to size once they're on the ground." He swung his axe into the one nearest him as he finished speaking.

Throughout that day, they rotated on and off the various jobs. Kiba's teammate, Aburame Shino, used the kikai insects that lived inside his body to check trees for rot or parasites, and Akamaru went down holes to root out any animals that lived within. Sasuke's fire justu came in handy for fire-hardening the ends of cut logs. Naruto's Kage Bunshin were an enormous help when it came to moving the heavy logs. The four marked trees came down in short order, and were soon stripped of bark and branches, then cut off to the same length and sunk into holes that had been dug at the corners of Naruto's lines in the ground. The holes were filled in with concrete and set.

Then began the laborious part of the work, building the walls. Each tree that came down had to be stripped like the corner posts, cut to length, then notched at the ends, holes drilled for pegs, and then laid in place as part of the wall and driven down to set the pegs in place. Hinata's healing salves saw much use to treat the blisters and cuts that soon developed, and everyone soon learned to identify which person had smashed their thumb with something by which profanities were shouted. Nobody knew that Hinata could cuss like she could, until Sasuke dropped the end of a log on her foot.

As it neared time for supper, the group gathered to survey what they'd accomplished. The walls were up, and a doorway stood ready for a door. The trees were down and ready to be cut into poles for framing the roof, and Sasuke had started, at Naruto's request, to search for stone to use in flooring the cabin All in all, they were pretty satisfied with their work. They emerged from the trees to find several Shadow Clones of Naruto sitting next to the trail. These Clones had been hard at work improving the trail. Naruto dispelled all but one, who he posted as guard, and escorted his guests down the mountain and into town.

"Thanks, guys, for the help today. I really appreciated it."

"Not a problem, Naruto," replied Kiba. Akamaru yipped and licked Naruto's leg in agreement.

"Happy to help, Naruto," said Sakura, "But if you ever wake me up like that again, I'll flatten you."

Shino shrugged and patted Naruto on the shoulder, and Sasuke smirked and nodded slightly. Hinata whispered something about it was no trouble, and edged a little closer to Kiba.

Tenten kissed Naruto on the cheek and smiled. "It was my pleasure, Naruto. Will you need help tomorrow?"

Naruto blushed. "I probably will. Got to get that roof up, at least. In the meantime, lets all get home." Each set out to their own houses, and Naruto was left standing at the foot of the mountain. He turned and followed Kiba back to his house for supper, and then went up to relieve his Shadow Clone at the building site. He bedded down that night and fell asleep to the sounds of the forest, and the happy thought that he was home…

* * *

The next day, Naruto was awakened by Akamaru burrowing under his blanket and cold-nosing him in the ribs. He shot up to see Kiba, Shino, Sakura, and Tenten gathered around him. "Morning, guys. Where's Sasuke and Hinata?"

"Sasuke's off training with Kakashi-sensei," replied Sakura. Kiba suppressed a snarl when Naruto mentioned Hinata. Sakura looked at the Inuzuka in concern. "What's wrong, Kiba?"

"Hinata's at my house," Kiba said. "She showed up a few hours after Naruto left. She was nursing a split lip and a hell of a black eye, and refuses to tell how she got them, but she also made it clear that right now she doesn't want to go back to her place, and even if she did, I wouldn't let her until I got to the bottom of it."

Naruto cleared his throat. "Kiba, you and I will go sort this out here in a bit. But let's focus on the task at hand, and get started on the roof. That should let our tempers cool a little. Won't do any good to barge into the Hyuuga estate all hot under the collar, will it?" Kiba nodded and picked up a hammer.

Naruto grinned. "Okay, here's what we're gonna do…" Naruto explained the process and assigned tasks, and each turned to it with relish. They raised the ridgepoles and pegged them into place on the wall, one at each end, and then lifted the ridge beam into place on top of them and secured it. The ridge beam would run along the center of the roof, and to it, the other roofing joists would be nailed. Tenten and Sakura cut the joists and Kiba and Shino hoisted them up to Naruto and his Shadow Clones, who set them in the notches and nailed them in place. After that, they nailed in the rafters and completed the framing of the roof. They took a break for lunch, and Naruto looked at all the cut-off parts of the logs they'd cut for framing and building the rest of the house. "Those are gonna be my roof." He went over with a wedge, maul, and a froe to start working on them. He split the logs into sections with the wedge and maul, and then took the froe and the maul, and split each section into shingles. Tenten joined him with a second maul and froe, and they split shingles while the rest ate. After everyone finished, each grabbed a hammer and a stack of shingles and made their way up to the roof. "We'll start at the bottom of the roof, and work our way up to the ridge beam." He laid a shingle down and tacked it into place. The others began, and the roof began to take on a proper look.

By mid-afternoon they had both sides of the roof done, and called it a day. Naruto intended to pick up a few extra supplies from town and do the flooring himself. Sasuke had found a good deposit of slate just up the mountain that would make excellent flooring. Naruto had also found a small spring nearby, and planned to use some of the slate to make a canal to bring the water to his cabin. Naruto dusted his hands off and posted a Shadow Clone for a guard before the group went back into town. Naruto and Kiba had business to attend to.

Sure enough, Hinata was at Kiba's house, and just like he'd said, her lip was puffy and her right eye was sporting a vivid shiner. The complication to Naruto's original plan of trying to get her to explain what happened was that right out front of the house was her father, Hyuuga Clan Head Hiashi, arguing with Inuzuka Tsume. Hiashi saw Naruto and turned. "And there is the cause of all this! How dare you associate with my daughter! Even though she is weak, she is still the Heiress of the Hyuuga, and shouldn't be found in the presence of such filth."

Naruto froze, and decided that anger wasn't going to solve the problem. He steeled himself and adopted his poker face. "Hyuuga-sama, perhaps you might be interested in knowing what, specifically, your eldest daughter has been doing, and with whom?"

"What have you done to her?" asked the man, completely misinterpreting the question posed by Naruto. He strode forward and grabbed Naruto by the front of his jacket. Naruto slid out of his jacket and left it in Hiashi's hands. Then he lost his temper.

"I haven't done a damned thing to her! She's been with not only me and Kiba, but also the heirs of the Uchiha and Aburame Clans, Haruno Sakura, and Ikegata Tenten, helping me build a house on my new property! And where the hell do you get off, accusing _me_ of mistreating that girl, when she shows up at her teammate's house with a black eye and a split lip!" Naruto continued in his rant, until Sakura pulled Naruto's Parker out of the case where it lay on the ground and fired both barrels into the air.

"SHUT UP!!!" Sakura yelled as everyone whipped around to face her. "Now, I'm sure that there's a reasonable explanation for all of this. Hinata, will you tell us what happened?"

Hinata looked up at her dad from where she cowered behind Kuromaru, Tsume's dog. "After I got home, and Father discovered that I'd been with Naruto and the others, he lectured me for an hour and sent me to my room. I was halfway to my room when Neji found me. He'd heard the entire lecture. He's the one who gave me the black eye."

Her father's reaction was unexpected. "Well, Daughter, if you are still too weak to have punished him yourself, even to make the seals, then you have received what you deserve. Be back at the house before sunset." He turned and began to walk away.

Naruto nearly flipped at that. Kiba held him back, but released him when Naruto bit his hand. "Hiashi!" The Hyuuga paused. Naruto continued, venom in his voice and murder in his eyes. "I want everyone to hear this, especially you. Hinata is welcome in my home anytime she wishes, and while on my land has my full protection. But she's the only one from your clan who has that privilege. If I find any other Hyuuga on my land, I'll send their eyes back to you in a box and feed the rest to the wolves."

Hiashi scoffed and walked away. "By sunset, Daughter."

* * *

Naruto picked up his supplies, which mostly consisted of food, and a potbelly woodstove, and packed it up the mountain to his cabin. The next day he went to the deposit that Sasuke had found and quarried out enough slate to floor his cabin and build a hearth for his woodstove. Naruto unsealed his furniture and some rugs for his floor. He'd posted a sign at the head of the trail to his cabin warning any Hyuuga that came to it that the trail was part of his property, and trespassing would be dealt with severely. As he sat there, contemplating how he was going to pay for glass to go in his cabin window, he saw someone walk up to his sign. Naruto looked closer and saw that it was a Hyuuga. Naruto sent one of his Shadow Clones to greet the man.

"Morning," said the Clone. "What's your business here? The Boss is kinda busy."

The Hyuuga just smirked, dispatched the Clone with a Jyuuken strike and stepped onto the path. He saw a puff of smoke from the cabin, and suddenly felt himself thrown backwards onto the path before everything went black.

The Branch House Hyuugas who were standing guard saw the pair of Shadow Clones walk up the road toward their post, a limp form between them. The two Clones of Naruto dumped the unconscious interloper at the guards' feet. His eyes were covered by a bandage made of his hitai-ate. Naruto had shot into a tree right next to his head with the Sharps, and it sprayed wood chips and bark into his eyes. One clone looked the guards in the eye. "This is Hiashi's freebie; he'll recover fine, just got some splinters. Next time Hiashi gets a pair of eyes, and the wolves get a free meal." The clones dispelled.

Naruto opened a can of beans and set them on his woodstove. He then went outside and started to train, his rifle never far from his hand. After his workout and a quick bath in the tank he'd made to collect water from the canal he'd dug to the spring, Naruto posted a pair of Kage Bunshin with orders to shoot any Hyuuga who stepped onto his property if they weren't Hinata, and went down the mountain and into town.

Naruto strolled into the village and into a couple of shops, then went into the Yamanaka Florist Shop. Ino was behind the counter. "Naruto, what brings you in here?"

Naruto smirked a little. "I need a couple things that you sell here."

"Flowers for someone?"

"Among other things. Do you stock vegetable seeds here, too?"

"A few kinds. Why?"

"Figured I'd try my hand at growing my own veggies."

Ino indicated a rack of seed bins in a corner. "That's all we have as far as vegetables go, that and some potatoes and onions in the nursery." Naruto walked over and measured out a pound each of corn, lettuce, and beans, then walked back over to the counter.

"I also need some of your potatoes and onions. And a bouquet for a girl."

Ino returned from the nursery with the vegetables and then looked at Naruto. "Ooh, who's the girl, and what's the occasion? Oh, and do you want it delivered by us, or do you want to give it to her yourself?"

"Well, the girl is Ikegata Tenten."

"The girl who's family runs that weapons store?"

"The very same. We've been an item for a bit now. She gave me these as an anniversary gift." Naruto laid Inazmuma and Kaminari on the counter. "Made 'em with her own two hands and gave them to me, and I gave her that belt she wears nowadays."

"You're the one who gave her that belt? Good Lord, Naruto, what did you do, skin a bear and stitch the leather together with dental floss? And who did the tooling on it, a blind man? That thing looks atrocious!"

"It was a deer, actually, stitched with rawhide, and I was one who tooled it. Tenten said she liked it, though," Naruto deadpanned. "Listen, Ino, if I tell you what the occasion for me to buy this bouquet is, you have to swear to me you will tell no one. I don't want this to get out before the opportune moment. Tell no one, Ino." Naruto waited for her to nod, and then leaned in and whispered in her ear.

Ino smiled. "I've got just the thing. When should she get it?"

"After the last round of the Finals."

"I'll see to it myself."

Naruto paid and then turned to walk out. But before he went, he turned back to Ino. "Ino, just remember something, as a sort of incentive to keep quiet about what I told you. If you can keep this under your hat until it's all said and done, I'll let you be the first one to know how it turns out, and you can spread that word around. Deal?"

Ino beamed. "Deal."

Naruto walked out of the florist shop and gave his garden stuff to a Kage Bunshin, to take back to the cabin. _Now to find a training ground and get ready to destroy Neji in the Finals_…


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto woke up on the day of the Finals, stoked up the fire in his woodstove and poured a cup of coffee. He pulled on his clothes and belted on his pistols. In the previous weeks he'd made a set of holsters for his flintlocks, and he now carried them holstered at his sides, just behind his Schofield and Peacemaker. Naruto sealed his other pistols into a storage scroll, and slung his Henry, his Sharps, and his Parker across his back, sheathed his Bowie in his right boot, and slid his tomahawks into his belt. He dusted off his slouch hat and pulled it on. As he walked out of the door, he passed the garden he'd planted next to the water tank, and smiled at the corn he saw sprouting. He'd had no trouble with the Hyuuga after he'd barked the first one with his Sharps; apparently Hiashi decided to just leave him be. Naruto whistled a tune as he strode boldly down the hill toward the arena…

The stands were packed when Naruto arrived. He looked up and saw Ino sitting in the stands. She winked at him and smiled. He smiled back. Naruto took up his position in the lineup and waited until his name was called to fight. He smiled as he looked at Neji. "Good luck, Neji. You'll need it."

Neji sneered. "I need no luck, Uzumaki. Fate has decreed that I will be the winner. Why not give up now, and save yourself the pain?"

"What can I say, I'm a glutton for punishment. And besides, I owe you for something."

"What, your fealty?"

"No, actually I owe you this!" Naruto darted in to belt Neji in the mouth, but was blocked and repulsed, after Neji landed two solid hits to his arm. Naruto snarled. "What kind of family beats on their own kin? Tell me that Neji. Give me one good reason why you gave your own cousin, a girl, no less, a fat lip and a shiner."

"Because she is weak, and she associates with weak people. Because Fate made her so, and because she's idiotic enough to try and fight it." Neji rushed in, launching a withering series of Jyuuken strikes, most of which landed, and those primarily on Naruto's torso. As Naruto fell, Neji laughed. "Once a dead-last loser, always a dead-last loser. You'll never be anything more than what you are right now, Uzumaki. Give up."

Naruto rose back to his feet and drew his tomahawks. "Neji, you really think that fate plays a part in everything that happens? Bull. We make our own destinies, our own decisions. Look at you. I heard from Tenten that you're Branch House. You're bound to serve the Main House, forever bow and scrape. Yet at the same time you're better at the Jyuuken than any ten Main House Hyuuga. You're struggling to be better than what you are, and you're winning. You're the one who's fighting Fate, Neji." Neji leapt in and struck Naruto with a vicious Jyuuken strike to the chest. The Kage Bunshin dispelled in a cloud of smoke and ten more rushed in with tomahawks drawn. Neji, rather than waste time trying to find the real Naruto, simply began to spin in place, emitting chakra until it formed a whirling dome all about him. The Kage Bunshin hit the barrier and ricocheted off, dispelling as they did. The real Naruto landed in a heap.

"Why do you keep fighting, Uzumaki? Why do you keep trying to change your stars?"

"Because… It's what I do… The impossible…" Naruto was fading, seeing double. He staggered to his feet and drew the Schofield. He walked over to where Genma stood, opened the cylinder and ejected all the rounds. He picked up a single round and held it up. "See this, Neji? This is one bullet. I'm gonna put it in my revolver here, and we're going to test your theory. If I'm fated to lose, it won't matter how I do it, will it?" He loaded one chamber. "Ref, watch this, so you can prove there's no funny business." Naruto closed the action on his revolver and spun the cylinder. "There are six chambers in this pistol, and only one has a live round. A one-in-six chance of dying." Naruto brought the muzzle of the pistol up to his temple and cocked it. He pulled the trigger. _Click_.

Neji stood in awe at the fool's antics. "That proves nothing, Uzumaki, only that you don't care to die."

Naruto grinned and drew his Peacemaker. He put it on half-cock and opened the loading gate. "Ref, check it. How many cylinders, and how many are loaded?"

Genma rotated the cylinder and counted. "Six chambers. Five loaded." Naruto took the pistol back, closed the loading gate and spun the cylinder before cocking it and putting the gun to his head. "One-in-six chance, Neji." Naruto pulled the trigger. _Click._ Naruto holstered both pistols and drew his Henry. Naruto opened fire, running forward as he did. Neji erupted off the mark and slammed into Naruto. Naruto blocked with his rifle, and finally shoved Neji off.

The Hyuuga smirked. "You are within my field of divination…" He vanished, reappearing in front of Naruto, his arms a blur. "Hakke Rokujyuuyonshou! Two hands! Four Hands! Eight Hands! Sixteen Hands! Thirty-two Hands! Sixty-four Hands!" The last blows launched Naruto back. "It's over, Referee. He won't get back up." He turned.

The Hyuuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai, the Byakugan, gives the Hyuuga an almost infallible defense, for it grants a three-hundred and fifty-nine-degree field of vision. But not three-hundred sixty. That meant, that for the briefest of moments, Neji lost sight of Naruto where he lay upon the ground. It was to his dismay that he did. He never saw Naruto's hand lift the flintlock pistol and fire. Neji fell, clutching his leg where the fifty-caliber bullet shattered it. Naruto once again staggered to his feet, walked to where Neji lay, and looked down at him.

"Neji, I think you lose."

"H-How? How are you even able to move?"

"I'm stubborn like that, I guess," Naruto said as the Kyuubi flooded his system with demonic chakra to force the tenketsu Neji's attacks had closed to open again. "I'm hard to keep down. Oh, by the way, I still owe you." Naruto picked Neji up by the shirt, and belted him in the mouth, busting his lip against his teeth. Then Naruto slugged him in the eye and let him drop.

Genma stepped in and raised Naruto's arm. "Winner, Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto walked back to the stands. He checked his pistol loads, and what he saw stopped him mid-step. In each pistol was a round with the primer dented from the hammer striking it. When Naruto had pulled the trigger, it had been on loaded chambers both times, and both rounds were duds! Naruto broke out in a sweat at that and decided to not tell anyone about it. He changed the loads out and holstered them. He'd reload Lightning when he got back to the stands.

The next match began, and ended, and the one after that. Finally, it came time for Sasuke's match. He was slated to fight the Sand Genin, Sabaku no Gaara. Gaara had, Naruto found out, messed Lee up so badly in their match that the doctors predicted he'd never be a ninja again. Naruto wasn't so sure, especially with Lee, who's whole reason for living was to prove his worth as a ninja. Naruto now watched as the two fighters, Gaara and Sasuke, squared off. At the start, Sasuke rocketed off the mark. _Damn, he's gotten fast!_ Sasuke's attack was apparently not fast enough to make it past Gaara's sand shield. It rose up in the blink of an eye, and Sasuke found his arm sinking into the sand. He quickly tore himself free, and put distance between himself and the Suna-nin.

_**Kit, something about that Sand kid seems familiar… It couldn't be!**_

_I don't know him from Adam's off-ox, Kyuubi._

_**Kit, he's like us. He's a demon container, same as you. And judging by the sand, I'd bet money he's jailor to the Ichibi no Shukaku. Go talk to him after the match. Something doesn't smell right here.**_

Naruto nodded and continued to watch as Sasuke and Gaara destroyed the arena in their quest to defeat each other. Gaara's sand tore strips up and smashed craters into the ground, and Sasuke's fire jutsu had littered the arena with shattered pieces of glass. Sasuke was steadily chipping away at the Suna Genin's supposedly impenetrable defense! Finally, Gaara retreated into a ball of sand, and Sasuke unveiled his new ace in the hole. Up the wall of the arena he went, gathering chakra into his hand as he ran. At the peak, he turned and started back down. The chakra in his hand was so concentrated that it had become visible, and was brightly glowing, crackling like lightning and emitting chirping sounds like a flock of birds.

"Ah, so Kakashi taught him that move," remarked Gai from nearby.

"What move is that, Maito-sensei?" asked Naruto.

"The only technique in Hatake Kakashi's arsenal that's original, that he didn't copy off of someone else. The user gathers chakra into their hand until it becomes visible. It's said that he once cut a lightning bolt in half with it, giving it its name, the Raikiri, Lighting-Cutter. But most call it by another name, for the chirping sound it makes. Chidori, One-Thousand Birds."

Naruto turned and looked to the arena as Sasuke came down the wall, rocketing across the arena floor, until he came to the sphere of sand and buried his arm up to the shoulder in it. The arena went silent. Naruto would swear later that in that moment, he could have heard a pin drop. The silence was shattered by a feral howl of pain and rage from within the sand ball, and Sasuke leapt back to avoid a beastly arm made entirely of sand that snaked out of it. There, inside the ball, glowed a single yellow eye.

In that moment, all Hell broke loose. The other members of the Sand team leapt into the arena, and grabbed Gaara as his sand slithered back into the gourd on his back and he collapsed. They leapt away, Sasuke in pursuit, as a genjutsu cast by infiltrators disguised as ANBU knocked all but a very few of the people in attendance out. Naruto felt drowsy, and nearly fell asleep before the Kyuubi flooded his system with chakra and dispelled the illusion. Naruto looked up just in time to see a ninja with a Sound headband leap at him. Naruto sidestepped and cut him down with a tomahawk, then turned to find his friends in the same predicament. Sand and Sound ninja were all throughout the stands, fighting with Konoha ninja and anyone else who stood in their way. Naruto drew his revolvers and started to work his way toward where he'd last seen Tenten. She'd won her match, beating Nara Shikamaru of Konoha Team Ten. Naruto found her now, pistol drawn and bucking as she held off a trio of Sand ninja from the door of the Infirmary where the injured lay. Naruto fired swiftly, dispatching the trio and moved to Tenten's side.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Naruto. What's going on? What's happening?"

"I'm pretty sure we're being invaded, Tenten. Come on, let's get the folks in here to the shelters." He turned to go inside, but was stopped at the door by Hyuuga Neji. The boy's leg was bandaged and splinted, and he looked like he was in unimaginable pain, but he was on his feet.

"I can still fight, Naruto, and so can the medics. I'll take the wounded and evacuate them. You and Tenten go and help somewhere else." Naruto nodded, then he and Tenten took off for the fray.

They found Kakashi, Shikamaru, Sakura, and Kiba backed into a corner. Akamaru was standing over the body of a Sound ninja who'd underestimated the little dog. Kakashi waved them over. "Sasuke is in pursuit of the Sand Team. Naruto, you, Tenten, Kiba, Sakura, and Shikamaru are to find him, and bring him back. Shikamaru, you're in charge. Sakura's second-in-command. Go!" The Jounin smashed a hole in the wall and the team bailed out of it, headed into the forest.

Kiba set Akamaru down on the ground and looked at him. "Do your thing, Akamaru." The dog began to sniff, and the others followed. They had followed Akamaru for almost five minutes when the little dog whined. Kiba fell back from where he was shadowing the pup and spoke to the others. "We're being followed. At least five, by the smell of them. What do we do, guys?"

Shikamaru looked at the others. "One of us has to stay behind and stall them. They're probably Chuunin-level or better. It's a suicide mission." The others' faces fell. "I'll do it. I'm the only logical choice. Naruto and Tenten are fighters, and you'll probably need them when you catch up with Sasuke. Kiba's the only one who understands Akamaru, and if he dies, we have no tracker. It's either Sakura or me, and I'm kind of a gentleman, troublesome as that may be. So I'll do it. Now go." With that, the Nara darted into the brush and the others continued on…

The team arrived in the clearing as Sasuke launched his first attack. Kiba and Akamaru heeled off to deal with one of Gaara's teammates, a makeup-wearing boy who was unwrapping a puppet. Sakura and Tenten paired up to fight against the other Sand-nin, a blond-haired fan-user named Temari, who'd lost to Neji in the Prelims. Naruto cocked his revolvers and leapt into the fray to help Sasuke.

Sasuke's attack was repulsed, and Gaara was looking less and less human by the moment. He was broken out of his fixation on Sasuke by a brace of bullets slamming into his sand-covered side. "Sasuke! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Naruto. This is my fight. Back off," the Uchiha snapped. He stood and assumed a fighting stance.

"Fine." Naruto wheeled and fired his Schofield at the puppeteer, clipping him in the hand and giving Kiba an opening for an All-Fours that had to have broken some ribs on the Suna-nin. The boy fell back and twitched his fingers, and his puppet turned and fired a dart that hit Kiba in the neck. He collapsed.

Naruto moved to help Kiba but was halted by the dog-boy's voice calling out. "No, Naruto. I've got this." The boy stood again, as did Kiba. Naruto took his place by Kiba's side.

"Blood Brothers, Kiba. You're fights are my fights." Naruto reloaded the spent chambers in his revolvers and looked at Kiba. "Besides, Kiba, You don't know what was in that dart. You could be poisoned pretty badly."

The Sand boy smiled. "Oh, he's more than just poisoned. That's my own special blend. He'll be dead inside an hour."

Naruto and Kiba launched off their respective marks, Kiba circling to the left and around the puppet, who was by this point engaged with Akamaru, and Naruto coming from the right. Naruto fired his revolvers, aiming for the Suna-nin's hands. The puppeteer moved back, and then dodged entirely as Kiba assaulted him. His concentration broken by Naruto and Kiba's attack, the Sand-nin broke the chakra-string connection to his puppet, and Akamaru came for him as the puppet fell lifeless. Kiba tackled the Sand Genin and held him. "Antidote. Now." Akamaru sniffed the boy and nosed his pocket. Naruto reached into the pocket and pulled out a vial. Kiba pulled the cork with his teeth and drank the whole vial down, before passing out.

The Sand boy smiled again. "He'll still be out of the fight. The antidote's got a nasty side-effect. He'll be unconscious for the next few hours, and by then, the Leaf will be burnt to the ground." Naruto kicked him in the head and knocked him out.

Naruto fed Akamaru a Soldier Pill from Kiba's pocket and pointed to the edge of the clearing. "Akamaru, get Kiba out of here." The pup, invigorated by the stimulant, grabbed Kiba's jacket collar in his jaws and dragged him off the battlefield. Naruto holstered his now-empty revolvers and drew Inazuma and Kaminari. He was about to turn when he heard Tenten and Sakura scream. Naruto whirled and saw Gaara, now almost completely covered in sand in the shape of the Shukaku, throw Sasuke back one-handed. The Sand boy's other hand was occupied holding Tenten and Sakura to the trunk of a tree, and slowly crushing them. Naruto fired both flintlocks and discovered that the heavy fifty-caliber bullets had little to no effect except to further enrage the beast. Naruto hauled Sasuke to his feet and looked to the Uchiha as he reloaded.

"Sasuke, don't say a damned thing. We need to do something, so here's the plan." Naruto quickly briefed Sasuke on the plan and they erupted into action. Sasuke would launch fire jutsu and melt parts of the sand into glass, and Naruto would shoot through the glass into the weakened shield, in hopes to get through. They kept this up for a minute or so, but were stopped in their tracks by the sight of all the sand, less the hand that still held the girls, coalescing into a giant tanuki of sand, with the bare torso of Sabaku no Gaara sticking out of the forehead. Gaara began performing hand signs, then slumped over asleep.

The tanuki looked around, and then roared. **"I'm FREE!!!!"**

"_**Shit! He gave up control to the Shukaku!**_"

Naruto bit his thumb and poured as much chakra as he could into a Kuchiyose no Jutsu. In a blast of smoke appeared a huge storm-grey stallion, so tall he towered over the trees of Konoha's forest. He wore no saddle pad like the other Horses Naruto had summoned. On his forehead was a white mark in the shape of the kanji for 'Above'.

"I am Sleipnir, Boss of the Horses. Are you the one who calls me to battle, little one?"

"I am, Sleipnir. If we don't stop the Shukaku, then my entire village will be destroyed, and the girl I love will die."

"Then we fight. Jump up and hold on." Naruto jumped up onto Sleipnir and the horse charged. Naruto made his way up onto the peak of the Horse Boss's head, and grabbed a handful of mane to hold on as Sleipnir reared and pawed at Shukaku. The two great beasts fought, biting and tearing, pawing and kicking, leveling huge swaths of forest. The tanuki demon launched bullets of air, trying to bring down Sleipnir, and the Horse responded with lightning, which had no effect, being grounded out by the sand. So again the two beasts clashed, coming to grips in a blur of motion and a thunderclap of sound.

Naruto yelled above the din of the battle, screaming in Sleipnir's ear. "What do we do?! The Shukaku's in total control; he has been ever since Gaara went to sleep!"

"Then let's wake him up!" cried Sleipnir. Naruto dispatched a Kage Bunshin to find Sasuke and bring him aboard.

Naruto quickly outlined a plan, and Sasuke, after pointing out a few of the flaws and helping Naruto fix them, agreed. Naruto tensed, and then as Sleipnir leapt at the Shukaku, Naruto performed a Henge on the Horse Boss. From the smoke emerged the Kyuubi no Kitsune, which latched onto the tanuki and held him fast. Naruto and Sasuke had leapt as high as they could, and as they reached the peaks of their jumps, each began his own hand signs.

Naruto performed his signature jutsu, the Tajuu Kage Bunshin, and created over five hundred Clones, all of whom drew a Sharps and took aim. Sasuke completed his signs and inhaled deeply.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" roared Sasuke as he released the massive fireball upon the Shukaku, melting the sand all along its back and neck to glass. Naruto and his Clones all drew down and fired, reloading as they dropped and firing again.

The Shukaku howled in pain as the bullets struck him, and Naruto landed on the tanuki's nose. He ran up the demon's face, leapt, reversing his Sharps in his hands to grip it by the barrel, and swung the rifle like a bat, cracking the sleeping Sand ninja across the head with it. The boy's eyes shot open and the sand tanuki dissolved back into loose sand, as did the hand around the girls. Sleipnir vanished in a puff of smoke, and Temari hobbled up, her arm bandaged from a sword cut, holding her other teammate.

Naruto held his shotgun steady. "There's been enough killing today. Gaara, take your team and ride out. We won't follow. But if you ever attack Konoha again, Ichibi container, you, me, and _my_ tenant, who has a few more tails than yours, are going to have more than words."

Gaara was stunned. "You have a demon? How are you not like me?"

Naruto smiled sardonically. "How? I have people who love me. I have a dream. I have a couldn't-care-less attitude. Take your pick."

Gaara frowned. "My own uncle tried to kill me. He died in the attempt. I lived my life for myself. Killing was my purpose, my reason to live. I'll see if I can find something else to live for now, Shootist." Gaara turned and walked away.

As the Sand team faded into the distance, Naruto turned and saw Tenten. She was lying on the ground at the base of the tree. She was very pale, and unmoving. Naruto ran to her. "Tenten? Are you alright?" He received no response. Sakura was coming to nearby. Naruto picked Tenten up in his arms. "Tenten, Tenten, please! This isn't funny! Wake up! Tenten, please! Please!" Naruto was beginning to panic as he held Tenten. She was limp, unresponsive. Naruto was sure she was dead.

"Na…Naruto…" Tenten said weakly. She moved a little, and winced. "I think my ribs are broken…" Naruto picked her up gently, and Sasuke shouldered Sakura. As they were headed out of the clearing, Kakashi arrived with Shikamaru and Akamaru in tow.

"I came as soon as I could, Naruto. What happened here?" asked Kakashi.

"The boy, Gaara. He wasn't himself for a while. We handled it, and he and his team are no longer a threat. They're on their way back to Wind Country. Where's Kiba?"

"He's at the hospital. Akamaru followed us. Inuzuka Hana said he was saying something about Kiba's Blood Brother needing help." Kakashi looked at Naruto. "Any idea what he meant?"

"I'll explain later, Kakashi-sensei. For now, let's get back to the village," Naruto responded. He set off at the fastest run he could mangage in his chakra-depleted state. He was still moving pretty fast; all his training had paid off, but he was nowhere near as fast as he would have been if he hadn't used most of his chakra in battle.

As they ran back to the village, Kakashi briefed them on what had happened. He explained that Orochimaru had revealed himself as the leader of Hidden Sound, and a coalition between Sound and Sand had invaded. There was a barrier jutsu in place atop the Hokage Tower, and inside the barrier, the Hokage and Orochimaru were fighting. The civilians had been evacuated, and the counter-offensive was gaining headway. It looked like the Sound and Sand would be driven out of Konoha before nightfall.

As they ran, Kakashi's radio chirped. He listened as someone spoke to him through the earpiece, then took off as fast as he could, leaving the Genin behind. Naruto swore, bit his thumb, and summoned some Horses. "We need a ride! No time to explain!" They mounted up and galloped to the village.

* * *

When they arrived in the village, Kakashi was standing outside the hospital. Naruto ran up to him as a nurse took Tenten. "What happened, Kakashi-sensei? Why'd you take off so fast?"

The Jounin looked up, and his visible eye was red with crying. "Naruto, the Hokage defeated Orochimaru. He couldn't kill him, but he managed to seal part of his soul. But, Naruto, the Hokage's not got long to live. They're giving him another hour, at most." Any other words Kakashi might have said were lost as Naruto darted into the hospital and up to the Hokage's room. The doctor outside the room tried to stop him, and Naruto just ran him over. There in the bed lay the Hokage, frail and weakened by his battle with Orochimaru.

"Ji-San?" Naruto edged closer to the bed. "Ji-San, I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to help you, but I was fighting with Gaara."

The old man opened his eyes and looked at Naruto. "Naruto, you did what you had to do. I doubt that there was any alternative. Naruto, I want you to know that you've always been like a grandson to me, and if you ever need anything, the Sarutobi Clan will do its best to help you."

Naruto was by this point in tears. "You, you were like the granddad I never had, Hokage-sama," he sobbed.

"Naruto, I know you vowed to become Hokage one day, and I expect you will. But I don't think you're ready just yet. When you do become Hokage, lead this village well, Naruto." The old man closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Naruto walked out of the room, and down to where Kakashi stood with Sarutobi Asuma, Team Ten's sensei and the Hokage's son. Naruto walked up to Asuma and put a hand on his shoulder. "Asuma-sensei, I don't know what to say. I lost the man who was like a dad to me, so I know how it feels, but I still don't know what to say." Asuma looked at Naruto, tears in his eyes, and hugged him. "Asuma-sensei, could I bum a cigarette?" Naruto asked when they parted. "I figure this is as good a time as any to start." Asuma passed him a cigarette and his lighter, and Naruto lit up, coughing when he took his first draw.

"Naruto, thank you. It was kind of you to try and comfort me. I appreciate it."

Asuma would have continued had the doctor not stepped outside, his countenance grim, and said, "He's gone."

* * *

The Hokage's funeral was sad, with many people of all ages and ranks recounting how in some way he'd touched their lives. Naruto was the last to speak. He stood in front of the crowd and told of how when he'd had a bad day, how a word from the Hokage would always cheer him up. He told of how until his death, the Sandaime Hokage had been the grandfather that he'd never had. Naruto laid a single white flower in front of the Hokage's photograph, along with a single spent cartridge casing.

After the funeral, Naruto went to the hospital to check up on Tenten. Just like she'd said, her ribs were broken, but luckily that was the only injury she sustained from Gaara's attack. Naruto had visited her every day, bringing flowers and candies, and playing his guitar for her and the two kunoichi who shared a room with her. Naruto didn't even bother acting as he went through the halls and up to Tenten's door.

He knocked, and then entered. Tenten was sitting up in bed, sipping a cup of tea. "Hi, Ten-chan." He sat down on the edge of her bed.

She held his hand. "I heard your speech. They broadcast the funeral so we could hear it in here. You don't have to play today if you don't want to."

Naruto just unsealed his guitar and smiled a little. "Thanks. Right now I just want to sit here and grieve."

Tenten squeezed his hand. "I know, Naru-kun. I know."

After an hour or so, Naruto stood. "Tenten, I have to go; I've got some things I need to do." Tenten smiled at him and wished him well, as did Yuki and Tsuki, the twin Chuunin who shared a hospital room with her. Naruto left with his mind set on one purpose.

Naruto's first stop was his cabin. He checked his garden on the way into the house. He'd finally gotten glass in the windows. Naruto now pulled the scroll containing his most valuable things out from beneath his bed and counted out his money. Aside from mission pay, and what was left of the bounty from Zabuza, Naruto had made a little extra money by selling the furs from some of his hunting trips to a furrier in the village. This Naruto took now, and made his way into town.

Along the way he ran into Kiba and Hinata. Kiba had finally been backed into a corner and forced to admit to Hinata that he was in love with her, and she'd faced up to the fact that Naruto was in love with Tenten. They'd been dating for almost a week, ever since the attack by Sound and Sand. Kiba ran up to Naruto and slapped him on the back. "Naruto! How've you been, man; I haven't seen you in a while!"

"I've seen better days, Kiba. I'm on my way to do some very important shopping right at the moment, though, and if things turn out the way I hope they do, then I'll be back on the road to better days in no time." Naruto darted off, leaving a fairly confused Kiba and a blushing Hinata behind him.

"Hinata, I think Naruto's going to go get drunk."

Hinata giggled and smacked him on the arm. "No, silly, he's going to buy jewelry." Kiba looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "Think about it, Kiba-kun." Hinata walked off toward her favorite ice cream shop, leaving Kiba, more confused than ever, standing in the middle of the road.

Naruto made his purchases and was on his way back to the hospital when he was stopped by Kakashi. "Naruto, you're needed in the Council Chambers right away. It's about a mission." Naruto quickly sealed his things away into a scroll and followed Kakashi to the Council Chambers. Once there, he recognized the old pervert from the hot springs, along with the late Hokage's former teammates and advisors.

Naruto walked up to the old pervert. "Good to see you again, Ero-Sennin." He sidestepped the half-hearted bop on the head that Jiraiya tried to give him. Naruto then addressed the two others. "Kakashi-sensei said this was about a mission?"

One of the two stepped forward. "The Sandaime Hokage failed to name a successor to become the Godaime. We had attempted to convince his former student, Jiraiya the Toad Sage, to take up the position."

At this point, Jiraiya interrupted. "And I told them that that idea was for the birds. I'm not cut out to take care of an entire Hidden Village. Hell, there are those who wonder if I'm even able to take care of myself."

Naruto was confused. "And this concerns me how? Because I know you aren't going to name me the Godaime."

Jiraiya continued. "I do know someone, however, who would make an excellent Hokage. My old teammate, Tsunade. Our mission is to find her and bring her back."

Naruto looked at the old man. "Our mission? As in, you and me?"

"What, you have a problem with that?"

"No, not at all, but you'd best be ready to travel fast."

"I'm always ready, brat."

"Good. Give me an hour to settle up affairs. I'll be at the Main Gate." Naruto turned and left to pack his warbag and ask Kiba and Hinata to keep an eye on his place.

They met at the gate and departed. As they walked, Naruto turned to Jiraiya. "So, what's Tsunade like? If we want to find her, I need to know so I know where to look."

"She's a compulsive gambler and an alcoholic. She also used to be a gifted medic, until she gave it up and left the village."

"So we look in bars and gambling dens. Nearest place with either of those is Yumi, and after that Tanzaku Gai. Let's go," said Naruto. He sped up a little and Jiraiya sped up to keep pace with him.

"Whoa, slow down, brat. Why the hurry?"

"Well, if we hurry, then we get done faster, and get back to the village faster. The faster we get back, the sooner I can-" Naruto cut himself off. "I've got business back in the village that this mission interrupted."

"This might take a while, Naruto. Tsunade's not got the best of luck when it comes to gambling. She's actually so bad that her nickname is 'The Legendary Sucker'. She's gotten really good at hiding from dodging all the people she owes money to. But look on the bright side; you're on a mission with one of the legendary Densetsu no Sannin."

"Who happens to be a perverted old geezer." Naruto sped up again, until he came to the outskirts of Yumi. Once there, he paid a visit to the No. 10 bar, and asked if anyone matching Jiraiya's description of Tsunade had been in. The bartender mentioned that a girl who matched that description had been through a week or so prior, and was headed to Tanzaku Gai for a poker tournament there. Naruto grabbed Jiraiya and dragged him out of the bar before he had a chance to start making an ass of himself with the women, and they headed toward Tanzaku Gai.

That night they bedded down along the road and Naruto took first watch. While he sat on watch, Naruto looked at a map of Tanzaku Gai and formulated a plan of how to go about looking for Tsunade. He marked out which bars he was most likely to find her in, based on the proximity to the casino where the tournament was being held. Naruto was relieved around midnight and lay down to rest.

* * *

The following day, as the two walked toward Tanzaku Gai, Naruto looked over at Jiraiya. "So, you were really the Yondaime Hokage's Jounin sensei?"

"I was. Crazy kid, him. He ended up teaching me a few things, as it turned out. How do you think I got to be so good at hiding while I do research?"

"Really? What else did he teach you?"

The old geezer reached into his bag and pulled out a balloon, which he filled with water and tied off. "Here, pop this." He tossed it to Naruto, who took it in hand and crushed it. Jiraiya frowned. "No, not like that. Use your chakra to spin the water inside the balloon and pop it."

Naruto looked at him as if he were crazy. "Okay. Why?"

Jiraiya just smiled. "That's the first step in learning one of the Yondaime's signature jutsus, the Rasengan." Naruto's eyes lit up. "Show me."

Jiraiya took another balloon and filled it. He held it in his palm. As he focused chakra, the balloon began to stretch as jets of water hit the inside of the rubber. All at once, the balloon burst, spraying water in every direction! Jiraiya wiped his hand on his trousers and filled another balloon, which he tossed to Naruto. "Now you try. It took me almost three years to master the Rasengan, so don't get yourself down if you don't get it right away."

Naruto's response was not to come. The boy was deep in thought, contemplating what he'd seen, and how he could possibly duplicate it. _Okay, Kyuubi. I know I have to spin the chakra to bust the balloon. Any tips?_

_**If I helped you with everything, would you ever learn on your own?**_

_Geeze, no need to get snippy; I was just asking. Okay, Naruto, think. If the water was spinning all in one direction, then the balloon would just flatten out like a disk. It was all bumpy when Ero-Sennin did it, so it must mean he was… Ah-ha!_

Naruto focused his chakra into the balloon, trying to get several directions of spin at once, and the balloon tore itself to shreds in his hand. "Ero-Sennin, I got it! What's next?"

Jiraiya was astounded. How on earth did the kid figure that out so fast? Jiraiya filed it away for later use and produced a hard rubber ball. "Okay, brat. The first step was about spin, and the second is about power. Do to this ball what you did to that water balloon." He tossed the ball to Naruto. The ball was in Naruto's hand all of thirty seconds before it exploded. Then, to make sure it wasn't a fluke, Naruto did it to another ball.

Jiraiya took out a balloon now, and filled it with air. "The last step is trickier. You have to form the Rasengan inside the balloon, _without_ bursting it."

Naruto tried, and the balloon popped. He took another balloon from Jiraiya, and tried again, with the same effect. Jiraiya handed him the bag of balloons and patted him on the back. "Keep trying, kid. You'll get it eventually."

That night as they entered a small roadside town on the way to Tanzaku Gai, Naruto was growing weary. He'd gone through the entire bag of balloons earlier that day, with no luck whatsoever in keeping them from popping when he tried to form the Rasengan. Naruto fingered the pouch sewn into his gunbelt where he kept his money, and decided not to mention it. And it was smart, too, because Jiraiya 'volunteered to look for Tsunade' right about the same time a pretty girl gave him the bedroom eyes. The old man took off without a word to Naruto about accommodations for the night, so Naruto just assumed that the perverted geezer could take care of himself, and went to a modestly-priced hotel, booked a room for two, and ordered tea and a five-thirty wakeup call. He sat down to start his nightly routine of breaking down and cleaning his guns, and oiling and honing his blades. Naruto smiled as he remembered aloud the words that James had spoken so often when they'd sat down to do this. "Take care of your tools, Naruto, and you'll never have to worry, because they'll take care of you…" mused the boy as he cleaned.

He was interrupted in his cleaning by a knock at the door. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Room Service. I brought your coffee, Sir," replied the voice on the other side. Naruto's hair stood up. He remembered that voice…

"I'll be right there. Lemme get dressed first," he responded calmly as he picked up his Schofield, which was still together and loaded. Naruto very quickly reassembled his Parker, and his Peacemaker, and loaded them, gripping the shotgun one-handed and tucking the pistols into his waistband. Naruto stepped up to the door, shouldered the shotgun, and fired both barrels through the thin wooden door. Naruto barely registered the curse of pain from an unfamiliar voice before he kicked what was left of the door down and stepped through, dropping the shotgun, drawing his revolvers, and sighting in on the first threat he saw, which was a colossal _blue_ man with a cloth-wrapped zanbatou. Naruto punched three of his Peacemaker's five rounds into the man's chest and wheeled as he went down, searching for his other target.

There at the end of the hallway stood Itachi, looking a little older, but no less deadly than he had that day on the trail. "Kyuubi Container. Come with me, and you won't be harmed," he spoke calmly, disregarding the moans of his partner.

"You don't recognize me, do you, Uchiha," Naruto snarled as he reloaded. "Tell me, do you remember an old man, who people called the Shootist? Well, that boy who was with him was me. He passed his title on to me. I'm the new Shootist, and I swore I'd kill you. Any last words?"

"Yes, actually. Don't underestimate your opponent." The Kage Bunshin in front of Naruto vanished and Naruto felt a crushing blow hit him in the back, flinging him forward. Naruto tucked and rolled, coming up with both pistols drawn.

"Same mistake most everyone makes when they face me," quipped the fox-boy dryly as he cocked both pistols. "Left eye, or right? I'd like to know which one you'd prefer I put the bullet that kills you through."

"Itachi!" Both wheeled to witness Uchiha Sasuke barreling down the corridor, a Chidori charged and ready in his hand. Naruto fired his pistols at Itachi, forcing him back against the wall, and smoothly ducked as Sasuke leapt over him to attack his brother. Itachi lithely parried the blow into the wall and broke Sasuke's arm before lifting the boy up in front of himself as a hostage.

"Uzumaki. Come with us or your teammate dies."

Naruto calmly ejected the spent cartridges from each of his revolvers and reloaded, then slid a fresh brace of shells into the shotgun. "Sasuke?"

"Naruto."

"You remember that talk we had a few weeks back? The one about mutual enemies?"

"I remember, Naruto."

"Good. I'd hate having to remind you." Naruto brought the shotgun up and fired from the hip, first one barrel, then the other, taking Itachi off-guard. The first barrel was loaded with number-four birdshot, and tore into Itachi's exposed shoulder, making him release Sasuke. The second barrel was a buck-and-ball loading of a slug and buckshot that hit Itachi low in the side and crumpled him. He stood painfully and locked eyes with Sasuke, who had drawn a kunai to attack him. Itachi's Sharingan morphed into a different form, and Sasuke collapsed, his breathing shallow and his eyes glazed. Naruto by this point had drawn his revolvers again and advanced on the wounded Uchiha. Behind Naruto, Jiraiya rounded the corner into the corridor and shouted something, but Naruto was focused solely on his revenge; he heard only muffled sounds over the roaring of his own blood in his ears. Itachi grabbed his partner, who appeared to have ceased breathing, and threw a flash bomb. When Naruto's vision returned, they were gone.

Naruto holstered his pistols and moved to where Sasuke lay in the corridor. His eyes were glazed, and he kept repeating, "No... Mother...Father..." over and over, and crying. Physically, all he had was a broken arm and a few stray shot pellets in his shoulder from Naruto's shotgun blast. Naruto bandaged the wounds and splinted Sasuke's arm as best he could. Ten minutes after Itachi escaped, none other than Maito Gai, Tenten's Jounin Sensei, erupted around the corner of the hallway and nearly kicked Jiraiya in the head.

"Gai-sensei, I need you to take Sasuke back to Konoha," said Naruto. "This mission I'm on with Jiraiya-sensei is too important for me to double back myself. Tell them that whatever Itachi did to him, it started when they locked eyes. And, please, Gai-sensei, do me two favors. Tell Ten-chan not to worry about me, and please remind Yamanaka Ino that she had better not spill the secret I told her, or else."

"Of course, Naruto. I'll make sure to do it! And if I cannot, I'll run a thousand laps around Konoha on my hands! And if I fail that, I'll..." Gai's voice faded out as he departed. As he left, Naruto seemed to sink inward, and his face, formerly composed, began to darken.

Jiraiya, who had been silent the entire time, finally began to speak. "You seemed to take pretty good control of the situation there, Naruto."

"You mean after I let a pair of S-ranked criminals escape, and one of my fellow shinobi get seriously injured?"

"The fact that you _survived_ an encounter with those two S-ranked criminals, and that your teammate is still alive, should be cause for celebration. If I may ask, Naruto, you seemed like a man on a mission when I came around the corner. I shouted at you but you didn't seem to hear me. What's going on?"

Naruto and Jiraiya had wandered back into the hotel room, and Naruto was reassembling and reloading his weapons. The gunfighter held up his Henry. "You remember the man who used to wield this? The former Shootist?" Jiraiya nodded. "His name was James Butler Hickok, and I met him on my sixth birthday, in Konoha. He saved me from a mob trying to kill me. He talked to the Hokage and then took me with him. I travelled with him for the next six years, and he taught me everything I know about weapons, survival, and tracking. On my twelth birthday, three weeks before I became a Genin, he was called out by a man on the trail back to Konoha, and killed. The man who killed him was Uchiha Itachi." Naruto's face darkened again, not in sorrow, but in barely-suppressed rage. His eyes, normally blue, were beginning to redden around the edges.

Jiraiya laid a hand on the boy's shoulder. "And you swore revenge for Hickok's death. Am I right?" Naruto nodded. "Well, Brat, let's find another hotel to stay at. We can get a fresh start on our mission tomorrow morning."

Naruto simply slung his cases across his back and holstered his pistols. "I couldn't sleep now if I tried, Ero-Sennin. I'm going on ahead. Stay here if you want; I'll meet you in Tanzaku Gai." Naruto leapt out a window, rolled to his feet on landing, and summoned Widowmaker. Naruto pulled his slouch hat low and kicked the stallion in the flanks with his heels, taking off down the road...


	9. Chapter 9

Back in Konoha, Ikegata Tenten was stretched out in the recliner at her house, reading a book of poetry she'd found buried in the very back of the library. She paused when one caught her attention. "The Highwayman, by Alfred Noyes," she read aloud. "Sounds interesting." She began to read the poem aloud.

_"The Wind was a torrent of darkness,_

_among the gusty trees;_

_the Moon was a ghostly galleon,_

_tossed upon the cloudy seas;_

_The Road was a ribbon of moonlight,_

_over the purple moor,_

_and the Highwayman came riding,_

_riding, riding;_

_the Higwayman came riding,_

_up to the old inn door._

_He'd a French-cocked hat on his forehead, _

_a bunch of lace at his chin,_

_a coat of claret velvet,_

_and breeches of brown doeskin._

_They fitted with never a wrinkle;_

_his boots were up to the thigh._

_And he rode with a jeweled twinkle,_

_his pistol-butts a-twinkle,_

_his rapier-hilt a-twinkle,_

_under the jeweled sky._

_Over the cobbles he clattered_

_and clashed in the dark inn-yard._

_He tapped with his whip at the shutters,_

_but all was locked and barred._

_He whistled a tune to the window,_

_and who should be waiting there,_

_but Bess, the Landlord's daughter,_

_the Landlord's black-eyed daughter,_

_plaiting a dark-red love-knot,_

_into her long black hair._

_"One kiss, my bonny sweetheart,_

_for I'm after a prize tonight._

_But I shall be back with the yellow gold,_

_before the morning light._

_But if they press me sharply,_

_and harry me through the day,_

_look for me by the moonlight;_

_Watch for me by the moonlight;_

_I'll come to thee by the moonlight,_

_though Hell should bar the way."_

_He rose upright in the stirrups;_

_He scarce could reach a hand._

_She loosed her hair in the casement;_

_His face burnt like a brand,_

_as the black cascade of perfume_

_came tumbling o'er his breast;_

_He kissed its waves in the moonlight,_

_the long dark waves in the moonlight,_

_then he tugged his rein in the moonlight,_

_and galloped away to the west._

_He did not come at the dawning;_

_He did not come at noon;_

_The out of the tawny sunset,_

_before the rise of the moon,_

_When the Road was a Gypsy's ribbon,_

_looping the purple moor,_

_a Redcoat troop came marching,_

_marching, marching;_

_King George's men came marching_

_up to the old inn door._

_The said no word to the Landlord;_

_they drank his ale instead;_

_They gagged his daughter and bound her_

_to the foot of her narrow bed;_

_And two of them knelt at her casement_

_with muskets at their side;_

_There was death at every window,_

_and Hell at one dark window,_

_For Bess could see through the casement,_

_the road that _he_ would ride._

_They tied her up to attention_

_with many a sniggering jest;_

_They bound a musket beside her,_

_the barrel beneath her breast._

_"Now keep good watch!" and they_

_kissed her._

_She heard the dead man say,_

_"Look for me by moonlight,_

_watch for me by moonlight,_

_I'll come to thee by moonlight,_

_though Hell should bar the way!"_

_She twisted her hands behind her,_

_but all the knots held good!_

_She writhed her hands till her fingers_

_were wet with sweat or blood._

_They stretched and strained in the darkness,_

_and the hours crawled by like years,_

_til now on the stroke of midnight,_

_cold on the stroke of midnight,_

_the tip of one finger touched it;_

_the trigger at least was hers._

_Tot-il-lot, Tot-il-lot,_

_had they heard it?_

_The horse's hooves rang clear._

_Tot-il-lot, Tot-il-lot_

_in the distance;_

_Were they deaf,_

_they did not hear?_

_Down the ribbon of moonlight,_

_and over the brow of the Hill,_

_The Highwayman came riding,_

_riding;_

_the Redcoats looked to their priming;_

_Bess stood up straight and still._

_Tot-il-lot in the frosty silence!_

_Tot-il-lot in the echoing night!_

_Nearer he came and nearer!_

_Her face was like a light!_

_Her eyes grew wide for a moment!_

_She drew one last deep breath;_

_Her finger moved in the moonlight;_

_the musket shattered the moonlight;_

_shattered her breast in the moonlight,_

_and warned him,_

_with her death._

Tenten's eyes teared up, and when she cleared them, she read on, silently at first, and then out loud, of the Highwayman's hearing how Bess had died...

_"...And his face grew gray to hear_

_How Bess the Landlord's daughter,_

_the Landlord's lovely daughter,_

_had watched for her love in the moonlight,_

_and died in the darkness there._

_Back he spurred like a madman,_

_shrieking a curse to the sky._

_The white road smoking behind him,_

_and his rapier brandished high._

_Blood-red were his spurs in the golden noon;_

_Wine-red was his velvet coat;_

_They shot him down on the highway,_

_down like a dog on the highway,_

_and he lay in his blood on the highway,_

_a bunch of lace at his throat._

_But still on a winter's night they say,_

_when the Wind is in the trees,_

_and the Moon is a ghostly galleon,_

_tossed upon the cloudy seas,_

_and the Road is a ribbon of moonlight,_

_over the purple moor,_

_a Highwayman comes riding,_

_riding, riding;_

_a Highwayman comes riding_

_up to the old inn door._

_Over the cobbles he clatters_

_and clashes in the dark inn yard._

_He taps with his whip at the shutters,_

_but all is locked and barred._

_He whistles a tune to the window,_

_and who should be waiting there,_

_but Bess the Landlord's daughter,_

_the Landlord's black-eyed daughter,_

_plaiting a dark-red love-knot,_

_into her long black hair..."_

Tenten closed the book and wiped her eyes. The poem was sad, and it made her miss Naruto. He'd left for a mission outside the village, and it must have been important, because according to Hinata and Kiba he'd barely had time to ask them to take care of his property for him. He hadn't even said goodbye to her. She checked the bandages around her torso, and took another painkiller. As she sat there in the recliner, she fingered the pistol belt Naruto had given her and drifted off to sleep...

* * *

Naruto leaned low over Widowmaker's neck as the stallion galloped over the road. "Tanzaku Gai, ETA five minutes, Naruto!" shouted the horse over the wind rushing by. Naruto patted the horse's neck by way of reply, and Widowmaker picked up his speed.

When they arrived, Naruto dismissed Widowmaker, took off his bandanna, and walked into the first bar he saw. It was a ramshackle saloon whose dark-stained and blade-scarred floor and walls indicated that it had aptly earned its name, the Bucket o' Blood. Naruto stood at the bar and slapped two Ten-Ryou coins down on the bar. "Barkeep." The bartender walked over and nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Dirty Bird, and leave the bottle." The bartender took the coins and came back with a bottle of Wild Turkey, a glass, and Naruto's change. Naruto pulled the cork and poured two fingers into the highball glass. The first sip of 101-proof whiskey burned like a Katon jutsu going down, but the next two felt fine to Naruto.

Naruto had just poured his second glass when a female voice behind him spoke. "Are you even old enough to be drinking, Kid?"

Naruto turned, his hat low over his eyes, and reined himself in when he came face-to-face (so to speak) with an enormous pair of breasts. Breasts he recognized from a photo of Jiraiya's. "Been legal to drink since October." His voice took on the same drawl that James had spoken with, and a drunken slur. "My ramrod was of a mind that if a body's old enough to kill, and to get kilt, then a body's old enough to have him a stout drink. As is, I'm out here a-drinkin' an' silently toastin' my ramrod's memory, 'cause you see, Miss, my ramrod got kilt a week or so ago."

"That's pretty sad," remarked the woman, who Naruto knew to be blond and beautiful. "How'd he die?"

"Pi'son. Got snakebit. My outfit's over yonder ways, a couple days' ride." Naruto jerked his thumb over his shoulder, in the general direction of Konoha.

"If you work out that way, why are you here?" asked the woman.

"Well, it's like this, Miss. My outfit, they sent me out this-a-way, to try an' track down one of my old ramrod's pards."

"And why is it you need to find this friend of your old boss?"

"See, my outfit asked one of the old boss's other pals to take over runnin' the outfit. But this pal, he says he's too much a drifter to be in put in that position. He says this other pal o' his and the boss's would be pure-dee perfect for the job, though. So the boys rounded me up, an' told me not to come back 'less I find that pal of the boss's.

The woman stood next to Naruto, and set a sake bottle on the bar. Naruto slid his glass over to her and took up the bottle. "Miss, I'd like to ask ya a favor. One of the last things the ramrod said to me 'fore he died was that if I went to toast his mem'ry, I was to find the prettiest lady in the bar, and get her to toast with me, on account o' the ramrod fancied himself a bit of a ladies' man. If you don't mind, of course."

"Why not? I'll do it."

Naruto lifted the bottle in salute and spoke clearly, the drawl and any trace of drunkeness gone. "To the memory of Sarutobi Hiruzen; Rest in Peace, Professor." Naruto pulled his hat off and looked for the first time into Senju Tsunade's stunned eyes. "I guess I found the ramrod's old pard. The Council wants you back, Lady Tsunade. They want you to take the mantle of Godaime." Naruto pulled his bandanna out of his pocket and tied it around his neck, the hitai-ate plate on it gleaming in the light.

Tsunade scowled. "And why should I do that? Huh? Tell me. Only idiots willingly take the position of Hokage. I'm not that stupid." She spun on her heel and started toward the door.

She was stopped by the whiskey bottle zipping over he shoulder and shattering against the doorframe. She turned around as Naruto stood. His face was feral, and his eyes promised pain to anyone who intruded on his business. "Alright, Old Hag, you listen here. First, becoming Hokage is _my _dream. I'll admit I ain't the sharpest kunai in the sheath, but Sarutobi Hiruzen wasn't called 'The Professor' for nothing, and you'd better remember it." Naruto crossed the floor and got right up in Tsunade's face.

"Second, the hell do you know, anyway? The Hokage's supposed to protect and care for the village. Sometimes that means giving your life so others will live. Ji-san gave his life to protect the Konoha, to make sure that Konoha would keep on living. And the Yondaime did the same! And I'd do the same in a heartbeat, if that's what it took!" Naruto's temper rose and rose, as did the volume of his voice. He kept on ranting at the Sennin in front of him.

Finally Naruto's voice dropped to a low growl, just above a whisper. "I was always told that it's trash who abandon their mission, but it's someone lower than that who abandons their teammates. The Hokage's teammates with everyone in the village, so I guess that makes you something I wouldn't scrape off my boot. I tell you what, you cowardly old bat, I'll turn around, go back to the bar and finish getting wasted, and I'll let you walk away. When Jiraiya arrives here, I'll tell him that your trail's gone cold and petered out. We'll go back to Konoha. Hidden Leaf will leave you be. But if I ever see you again, Senju Tsunade, so help me I'll put a kunai between your eyes without a second thought."

Tsunade looked at this angry youth before her and smirked. "You're threatening me? You know I'm one of the Densetsu no Sannin, right?"

Naruto flipped her the bird. "I don't give a damn if you're Kami himself, and by the way, that wasn't a threat. That was a promise."

"You couldn't touch me if you tried, Brat." Tsunade picked up a sake bottle from the table next to her and raised it to her lips.

The bark of Naruto's Schofield was loud in the tiny barroom, and the bottle in Tsunade's hand shattered in a spray of sake and ceramic. Naruto lost his temper then. "That's it. Outside. We're gonna settle this here and now." He holstered his revolver and stormed past Tsunade out into the street.

Coming up the road at a run was a panting and sweaty Jiraiya. "What's with you, Naruto? We have to find-" He stopped and surveyed the situation. "Oh, you found her already. Tsunade! We've been looking for y-"

"Shut up, Jiraiya!" snapped Tsunade as she cracked her knuckles. Behind her, from another bar, a brunette girl carrying a pig emerged and saw the fight about to take place. "These are the terms, Brat. You can use any weapons, jutsus, or techniques you feel like. I can only use one finger." She held up her right index finger. "If you manage to somehow win, I'll apologize for what I said. But when you lose, you admit I'm right, and leave me alone. Agreed?"

Jiraiya looked confused. "Naruto, what's going o-"

"Shut up, Ero-Sennin!" barked Naruto. "This old hag needs to learn not to speak disrespectfully of the dead." He looked Tsunade in the eye and then took off his gunbelts and longarm cases. He set them down next to the bar. "Now it's a fair fight."

Tsunade assumed her stance, and Naruto drew his tomahawks. "Ready..." they said in unison. "Steady... Go!"

Naruto darted forward, winging one tomahawk low and the other high. Tsunade blocked the high one with her finger, and smoothly redirected it back toward Naruto. Naruto dodged the axe and leapt forward, his fist drawn back for a haymaker punch. Tsunade intercepted the blow with just her one finger, and her counter-push with the finger sent Naruto sprawling into the dirt several yards away. Naruto stood, and forced his anger down into a little ball down deep inside. He focused his chakra, and as he started forward again, a blue sphere of chakra started to form in his hand...

* * *

Back in Konoha, Kiba was on a mission. Not so much a mission for pay, as a personal mission. Hinata had been on the receiving end of another beating from Neji. Her family, it seemed, were even less thrilled at the prospect of her dating an Inuzuka, than they were at her being friends with Naruto. Hiashi had told her, in no uncertain terms, that if she did not 'end this scandalous affair and start behaving as a proper heiress' , that the Hyuuga Clan Council would make her younger sister, Hanabi, heiress, and brand her with the Caged Bird Seal that marked members of the Branch House. She was staying at Naruto's cabin, and she wasn't alone. Shino was there, and so were Sakura, Tenten, and the Konohamaru Corps. Kiba had found Nara Shikamaru from Team Ten, and was trying to get a plan out of the lazy genius, without giving his idea away. Currently, the two were stretched out on a rooftop overlooking the village.

"Hey, Shikamaru?"

"What, Kiba?"

"I've got a, a hypothetical situation, that I'd like you to have a think on."

The Nara looked at him. "Okay, shoot."

"Say I want to execute a mission. Very high-risk, very hush-hush."

"Safe to assume it's an assassination, then?"

"Uh-huh," replied Kiba. In truth, he had no intention of killing either of his targets. He just wanted to beat the shit out of them. But Shikamaru didn't need to know that.

"Target ID?"

"Two targets, both Hyuuga. Neji and Hiashi."

Shikamaru whistled, then muttered something about troublesome females. "It can be done, but it's a suicide run without a pretty sizeable army on your side, and even then you could expect massive casualties. Who would, hypothetically, be throwing his life away on this mission?"

"Me."

"This is about Hinata, isn't it?" asked Shikamaru, as he looked Kiba in the eye. Kiba nodded. "You're not _actually_ going to kill Neji or Hiashi, are you?"

"No. Just give them a hell of a beating. That, or die trying."

"With Hiashi, more likely the latter. But I've got a plan that might just lessen your odds of losing by a tiny margin. Who do you have who'll back you in this?"

Kiba quickly listed off the Genin who were with Hinata, and Shikamaru listened attentively. "Here's the plan, Kiba..."

That night, Kiba and Akamaru waited in the shadows outside the Hyuuga Clan compound's south wall, their ears attuned to the slightest sound, their noses to the faintest smell. Suddenly, from the ramparts above them, came a pair of muffled grunts. Shikamaru, and a hastily-recruited Yamanaka Ino, had used their signature jutsus, the Kagemane and the Shintenshin, respectively, to take control of a pair of inattentive guards. Before their partners knew it, the two controlled guards had knocked them out, and Kiba ran up the wall and over. He landed silently and set Akamaru down. The puppy started sniffing, leading the way on a convoluted path toward the building that the raid plan had designated Objective Able, while avoiding the numerous traps sown throughout the grounds. The pair finally reached the objective, gave the signal for 'Objective Able reached, preparing to make entry' , which was two clicks of the mic key on the radio Kiba carried, and moved to make entry.

Objective Able was the Branch House Quarters just off the main building. It, like the main building, was built in the traditional manner, and consisted primarily of wood-lath-and-rice-paper sliding shoji panels. Kiba withdrew a razorblade from his belt and silently cut a rice-paper panel out of an inconspicuous corner of the building. Akamaru stood at the hole as a lookout, while Kiba entered the building. He trusted his nose and Shikamaru's careful planning to know which room Neji was in. Kiba paused for a moment outside Neji's room and listened. Inside he heard the deep, even breathing of a man asleep. Kiba reached into his belt pouch and withdrew a cloth and a padded bottle of chloroform that he'd stolen from Hana's vet clinic earlier in the day. Kiba silently cut an entry hole into Neji's room, entered, and pressed the chloroform-soaked cloth to the Hyuuga's face. When the startled boy's struggles ceased, Kiba bound and gagged him, and dragged him out into the courtyard. He moved Neji to a prearranged location by the compound wall and clicked his radio mic three times, the signal for 'Target One secure and ready for extraction'.

Kiba moved swiftly toward the southeast corner of the main building, the spot designated Rally Point, or RP, One. As he moved, he received four mic clicks in his earpiece, the signal for 'Extraction Team inbound to retrieve Target One, Backup Team inbound to RP One'. Kiba and Akamaru stopped when they reached RP One, and waited for their backup. They didn't have to wait long. Out of the blackness appeared Aburame Shino, Shikamaru, and Ino. Shikamaru spoke swiftly in sign-language. _"The way out's open. Poison Ivy's enroute to extract Target One, and then afterwards will help Boomer and the Three Hyenas set up the fireworks show. Ready?"_

Kiba's reply of a feral smile and a one-fingered salute was all the response Shikamaru needed. Kiba cut an entry through a low shoji panel with his razor, and the team moved in. Shino took point, his Kikai swiftly draining the chakra from every Hyuuga they came across, rendering them incapacitated. As each one collapsed, one of the youths would catch them and gently lower them to the floor. Finally, they came to the master bedroom. Kiba stood by to cut another entry hole, and the team made ready. They stacked on the door, and at Shikamaru's signal, Kiba slashed the shoji panel and moved inside, peeling right, while Ino moved left, Shikamaru moved right, and Shino peeled left. Hyuuga Hiashi was taken off-guard for a moment, startled awake, and it was that barest breadth of time that the entry team needed. Shino's Kikai swarmed him at the same time Shikamaru's Kagemane no Jutsu froze him in place. As Hiashi felt his chakra start decreasing, a rag soaked in something was pressed to his face, and everything went black.

Next came the second-trickiest part of the operation: Having captured the Hyuuga Clan Head, they now had to extract him from his own compound. And while the team may have had an exit corridor ready, and while they may have eliminated the guards inside the house, they still had to contend with the guards on the wall.

Ino stood ready, while Kiba injected Hiashi with a drug to counteract the chloroform. They had to time this perfectly, or all their planning was for naught. Just as Hiashi's eyes began to flutter, Ino performed her clan's signature Shintenshin no jutsu, the Mind Transfer, and took over his body. Ino, in Hiashi's body, picked up her real body, which had slumped over unconscious, and nodded to the others. They opened a window, climbed out, and Shikamaru clicked his radio mic once to check everyone's readiness. He was answered with one click from each. They were in position and ready. Kiba took a bearing on the dim red glow of a chemlight on the wall, where their exit lay, and let loose a hair-raising war whoop as he began to run.

As he ran, the night sky over the Hyuuga compound was lit up as bright as noonday. Sakura, callsign 'Poison Ivy' , was hurling flash bombs, smoke bombs, and kunai laden with explosive notes into the compound, aiming to cause random and wanton destruction and confusion. She was not alone in this task. Tenten, callsign 'Boomer' , was also throwing noisemakers and the odd chakra flare or two in among the confused defenders. Across the compound from the two ladies were Moegi, callsign 'Shenzi' ; Konohamaru, callsign 'Banzai' ; and Udon, callsign 'Ed'. Collectively referred to over the radio as 'the Three Hyenas' , they'd been handed a backpack full of flares, smoke bombs, and itching powder bombs each, and told that when they heard Kiba whoop, they were to cause utter chaos. And cause chaos they did. They hit upon the idea of using the flares to blind the Hyuuga, and then the smoke to cover the itching powder. Once each person had expended all their bombs, they fell back to the location designated in the raid plan as RP Two. The snatch had gone without a hitch...

* * *

Neji was awakened by a fist crashing into his jaw. He toppled backward, and tried to move, but found himself unable to move. His eyes were covered. Neji attempted to activate his Byakugan, but to his horror was unable to! His eyes had been disabled. Kiba growled into Neji's ear as he lay helpless on the floor. "You brought this on yourself, Cur. You harmed someone who had done you no harm. You raised your hand in anger to someone who had offered you nothing but kindness. It's been said that whatever a man does, for good or ill, comes back on him threefold. Brace yourself, Hyuuga Neji. This is gonna hurt you way more than it does me." And with that, Kiba, Tenten, Sakura, Ino, and Shino fell upon the prostrate and helpless form of Hyuuga Neji. After everything was over and the group had backed away, Neji felt himself hauled to his feet. He felt a senbon pulled from a pressure point at the back of his neck, and his vision slowly faded back in. All around him stood those who had beaten him, and before him, her lip still puffy and her right eye still blackened, stood Hinata.

Hinata began to speak to Neji, and her voice didn't stutter at all. "Neji-san, all my life, I looked up to you as if you were an older brother. I admired your skill and your courage. But now I realize that I was always weak in one respect. I let you trample all over me, and never put up a fight. I let the entire clan run me over, and never fought. I'm through with it, Neji," she said, her eyes beginning to tear. "And to ensure that you realize just how serious I am, I'm going to do the one thing I hoped I'd never have to do. Neji, this hurts me as much as it does you. I'm sorry." Neji watched in horror as Hinata formed a one-handed seal and activated the Caged Bird Seal on his forehead. Neji collapsed, his head feeling as if every one of his neurons were being melted. Neji screamed, and passed out from the excruciating pain. Hinata released the seal, and Sakura moved to the prone boy's side. She checked his pulse and reinserted the senbon that had rendered him helpless before looking up to where Kiba was comforting Hinata. They waited a few minutes so Hinata could compose herself, and then moved into the next room, where Hyuuga Hiashi waited, drugged, bound, and with a chakra-suppressant seal from Shikamaru's dad's gear plastered to his forehead.

Kiba moved to Hiashi's side and injected him with a counterdrug. When the Hyuuga Clan Head's eyes opened, he was visibly enraged. "What is the meaning of this?! Daughter! Untie me this instant! I command you!" His tirade was cut short by Kiba grabbing the back of the chair he was tied into and jerking it over backward.

Kiba snarled, his face contorted with barely-suppressed rage, as he spoke. "Listen, Hiashi. Hinata loves me, and I love her. If you thought I'd just sit on the sidelines with my thumb up my ass while you tried to pull her strings like a puppet, or worse, while you allowed that cur, Neji, to _beat_ her, then you're dumber than a brain-dead rabbit! I want so badly to beat the tar out of you like I did Neji, but out of my last little shred of respect for you as Hinata-chan's father, I won't. But listen and listen good, old man. Hinata has something to say to you." Kiba pulled the chair back upright and held Hiashi's head still and focused on Hinata.

Hinata's voice was steady, almost as devoid of emotion as her father's voice. She looked Hiashi squarely in the eye as she began to speak. "Hiashi-sama, I thank you for the twelve years that you raised me. My time with the Hyuuga has taught me many things of merit, whether they were deliberately taught, or not. One of the most important lessons that I've come to know, is the importance of following one's heart, although it may come at a great cost." Her eyes bored into her father's, and she continued. "I come before you tonight to pay that great and terrible cost, and to follow my heart. I renounce my family name, and with it, my claim to the seat of Hyuuga Heiress. You threatened to brand me as a Branch House member, Hyuuga-san. I know the Clan Laws as well as any Hyuuga, and the Caged Bird cannot be administered to a non-Hyuuga. I am no longer a Hyuuga. Know that I bear my former clan no ill will, and I will forever use my Byakugan only to defend this village. I shall expect my things to be delivered to the address on this paper within a week." Hinata nodded to Kiba, and the dog boy slid a folded notebook page into Hiashi's left sleeve. Hinata began to speak again. "I wish you well, Hyuuga-san. Kiba-kun?"

Kiba plunged the needle into the Hyuuga Clan Head's neck and depressed the plunger with his thumb. The Ketamine in the syringe knocked Hiashi out within seconds. "The dose should wear off in a few hours. Until then, he's out for the count."

Hiashi awoke outside the north gate of the Hyuuga Clan compound, his head pounding. Beside him lay Neji. From the look of terror on his face, Hiashi assumed that his Caged Bird Seal had been activated. _So, Daughter... You do have a spine after all... _Hiashi removed the folded paper from his sleeve and read the address. The address listed was a storage unit on the outskirts of town, very near the base of the mountain. Hiashi picked up his nephew, and went inside to break the news to the Council...


End file.
